IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirc/v43y2025i7p1447-1466.html

Constructing the smart city beyond the state: Exploring the conditions for institutional change in Mexico City

Author

Listed:
  • Alex Marsh
  • David Sweeting
  • Jesús Arturo Flores López
  • Jessica De Alba-Ulloa
  • Victoria Rivera-Ugarte

Abstract

Research indicates that citizen participation in the smart city is typically limited in practice. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, several institutional factors acted to limit citizen participation in Mexico City’s smart city activities. This paper explores whether the exogenous shock of the pandemic disrupted socio-political institutions unhelpful to citizen participation in smart city development. It notes that the pandemic had limited impact on this institutional environment. The paper argues that securing meaningful citizen-oriented smart city innovation therefore requires an alternative approach. It argues that in Mexico City genuine citizen orientation could be facilitated through the construction of an alternative smart city founded on civil society organizations. To support this proposition, it draws on a co-creation exercise led from beyond the state. Developing such an alternative smart city will, however, require institutional work on the part of local actors and key additional resources. The paper explores processes of shifting towards more participatory smart city development models that are relevant to the global pursuit of the alternative smart city.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Marsh & David Sweeting & Jesús Arturo Flores López & Jessica De Alba-Ulloa & Victoria Rivera-Ugarte, 2025. "Constructing the smart city beyond the state: Exploring the conditions for institutional change in Mexico City," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 43(7), pages 1447-1466, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:43:y:2025:i:7:p:1447-1466
    DOI: 10.1177/23996544251332070
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23996544251332070
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/23996544251332070?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ryan Burns & Preston Welker, 2023. "Interstitiality in the smart city: More than top-down and bottom-up smartness," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(2), pages 308-324, February.
    2. Panicos Demetriades & Siong Hook Law, 2006. "Finance, institutions and economic development," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(3), pages 245-260.
    3. Siong Hook Law & Panicos Demetriades, 2005. "Openness, Institutions and Financial Development," Discussion Papers in Economics 05/8, Division of Economics, School of Business, University of Leicester.
    4. Allan P. O. Williams, 2006. "Institutional and Market Influences in the Development of Cass," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Rise of Cass Business School, chapter 7, pages 95-111, Palgrave Macmillan.
    5. Sergio Montero & Ryan Anders Whitney & Isabel Peñaranda, 2023. "Experimental Urban Planning: Tensions Behind the Proliferation of Urban Laboratories in Latin America," Planning Theory & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 473-488, August.
    6. Willem van Winden & Daniel van den Buuse, 2017. "Smart City Pilot Projects: Exploring the Dimensions and Conditions of Scaling Up," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 51-72, October.
    7. anonymous, 2006. "Conference explores relationship of markets, institutions," Financial Update, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, vol. 19(Q 2).
    8. Taylor Shelton & Thomas Lodato, 2019. "Actually existing smart citizens," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 35-52, January.
    9. Ryan Anders Whitney & David López-García, 2023. "Fast-track institutionalization: The opening of urban planning best practice agencies in Mexico City," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 41(3), pages 600-616, May.
    10. Robert G. Hollands, 2015. "Critical interventions into the corporate smart city," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 8(1), pages 61-77.
    11. Rob Raven & Frans Sengers & Philipp Spaeth & Linjun Xie & Ali Cheshmehzangi & Martin de Jong, 2019. "Urban experimentation and institutional arrangements," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 258-281, February.
    12. John Bellows & Edward Miguel, 2006. "War and Institutions: New Evidence from Sierra Leone," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 394-399, May.
    13. Jooho Park & Sayaka Fujii, 2023. "Civic Engagement in a Citizen-Led Living Lab for Smart Cities: Evidence From South Korea," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 93-107.
    14. Colin McFarlane & Ola Söderström, 2017. "On alternative smart cities," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3-4), pages 312-328, July.
    15. Vito Albino & Umberto Berardi & Rosa Maria Dangelico, 2015. "Smart Cities: Definitions, Dimensions, Performance, and Initiatives," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 3-21, January.
    16. Jooho Park & Sayaka Fujii, 2023. "Civic Engagement in a Citizen-Led Living Lab for Smart Cities: Evidence From South Korea," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 93-107.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marc Salesina, 2025. "Marsden as organization theorist," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 63(1), pages 52-70, March.
    2. Binh Bui & Carolyn Fowler, 2022. "Carbon controls in a New Zealand electricity utility: An application of theoretical triangulation," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4423-4451, December.
    3. Ksenia Kosheleva & Julia A. Fehrer & Kaj Storbacka, 2025. "Generative coexistence: Rethinking marketization in the cultural field," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 15(3), pages 454-476, December.
    4. Laurianne Schmitt & Eric Casenave & Jessie Pallud, 2021. "Salespeople's work toward the institutionalization of social selling practices," Post-Print hal-03868903, HAL.
    5. Mora, Luca & Gerli, Paolo & Ardito, Lorenzo & Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio, 2023. "Smart city governance from an innovation management perspective: Theoretical framing, review of current practices, and future research agenda," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    6. Matteo Marenco, 2024. "Platform work meets flexicurity: A comparison between Danish and Dutch social partners’ responses to the question of platform workers’ contract classification," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(2), pages 201-220, June.
    7. Carolina Costabile & Jon Iden & Bendik Bygstad, 2022. "Building digital platform ecosystems through standardization: an institutional work approach," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(4), pages 1877-1889, December.
    8. Kummitha, Rama Krishna Reddy, 2020. "Why distance matters: The relatedness between technology development and its appropriation in smart cities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    9. Norin Arshed & Dominic Chalmers & Russell Matthews, 2019. "Institutionalizing Women’s Enterprise Policy: A Legitimacy-Based Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(3), pages 553-581, May.
    10. Tilo Grenz & Paul Eisewicht, 2017. "Variants of Interplay as Drivers of Media Change," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(3), pages 5-14.
    11. Roy Kevin, 2024. "Institutional work and institutional entrepreneurship in the Ontario craft beer industry," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 68(2), pages 97-110.
    12. Mora, Luca & Deakin, Mark & Reid, Alasdair, 2019. "Strategic principles for smart city development: A multiple case study analysis of European best practices," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 70-97.
    13. Johanna Moisander & Kirsi Eräranta & Kathryn M. Fahy & Visa Penttilä, 2024. "Emergence of Hybrid CSR Models as a Conflict‐Driven Communicative Process in a Nordic Welfare State," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(5), pages 2072-2100, July.
    14. Sha, Kritika & Taeihagh, Araz & De Jong, Martin, 2024. "Governing disruptive technologies for inclusive development in cities: A systematic literature review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    15. Giuseppe Pedeliento & Federico Mangiò & Gabriele Murtas & Daniela Andreini, 2023. "Market system dynamics (MSD): A process-oriented review of the literature," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 13(3), pages 173-195, December.
    16. Bernd W. Wirtz & Marcel Becker & Florian W. Schmidt, 2022. "Smart city services: an empirical analysis of citizen preferences," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1063-1080, December.
    17. Richard Hu, 2019. "The State of Smart Cities in China: The Case of Shenzhen," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-18, November.
    18. Trencher, Gregory, 2019. "Towards the smart city 2.0: Empirical evidence of using smartness as a tool for tackling social challenges," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 117-128.
    19. Francesco Schiavone & Francesco Paolo Appio & Luca Mora & Marcello Risitano, 2020. "The strategic, organizational, and entrepreneurial evolution of smart cities," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 1155-1165, December.
    20. Negar Noori & Thomas Hoppe & Martin de Jong, 2020. "Classifying Pathways for Smart City Development: Comparing Design, Governance and Implementation in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-24, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:43:y:2025:i:7:p:1447-1466. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.