The “smart city” is currently a popular term and optimism about the possibility of a technology-enhanced city is peaking. In reality, the use of technologies for urban governance is neither new nor likely to be politically uncontroversial. The technological choices cities make today are critical as cities come to recognize the necessity to adapt to climate change. This presentation discusses the use of technologies in cities from a historical perspective and points out some of the policy-making dilemmas in making choices between different technological possibilities.

Henrik Jacobsen is a second-year PhD Student in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, with research interests in the areas of comparative politics, public administration, and environmental politics. His previous degrees include: MPhil Politics, Comparative Government, University of Oxford; BA, International Politics & History, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany. He has also been a fellow of the German National Academic Foundation since 2012.