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Citizen Apps to Solve Complex Urban Problems

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  • Kevin Desouza
  • Akshay Bhagwatwar

Abstract

Tackling complex urban problems requires us to examine and leverage diverse sources of information. Today, cities capture large amounts of information in real-time. Data are captured on transportation patterns, electricity and water consumption, citizen use of government services (e.g., parking meters), and even on weather events. Through open data initiatives, government agencies are making information available to citizens. In turn, citizens are building applications that exploit this information to solve local urban problems. Citizens are also building platforms where they can share information regarding government services. Information that was previously unavailable is now being used to gauge quality of services, choose services, and report illegal and unethical behaviors (e.g., requesting bribes). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the range of citizen applications (“citizen apps”) targeting urban issues and to address their effects on urban planning, decision-making, problem solving, and governance. We examine citizen apps that address a wide range of urban issues from those that solve public transportation challenges to those that improve the management of public utilities and services and even public safety.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Desouza & Akshay Bhagwatwar, 2012. "Citizen Apps to Solve Complex Urban Problems," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 107-136.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cjutxx:v:19:y:2012:i:3:p:107-136
    DOI: 10.1080/10630732.2012.673056
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Nick Taylor Buck & Aidan While, 2017. "Competitive urbanism and the limits to smart city innovation: The UK Future Cities initiative," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(2), pages 501-519, February.
    2. Seyedeh-Samira SHAFIEE-MASULEH & Seyed Reza SHAFIEE MASOULEH, 2018. "Assessing Citizens’ Demands for Improving the Urban Environment," Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies (CJUES), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 6(01), pages 1-20, March.
    3. Hanifa Shah, 2023. "Beyond Smart: How ICT Is Enabling Sustainable Cities of the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-22, August.
    4. Carvajal Bermúdez, Juan Carlos & König, Reinhard, 2021. "The role of technologies and citizen organizations in decentralized forms of participation. A case study about residential streets in Vienna," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    5. Simon Bell & Francesca Benatti & Neil R. Edwards & Robin Laney & David R. Morse & Lara Piccolo & Oliver Zanetti, 2018. "Smart Cities and M3: Rapid Research, Meaningful Metrics and Co-Design," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 27-53, February.
    6. Falco, Enzo & Kleinhans, Reinout, 2018. "Beyond technology: Identifying local government challenges for using digital platforms for citizen engagement," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 17-20.
    7. Kevin C. Desouza & Akshay Bhagwatwar, 2014. "Technology-Enabled Participatory Platforms for Civic Engagement: The Case of U.S. Cities," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 25-50, October.

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