Cultural nuance, human behaviour and social identity require greater attention within the emerging smart cityphenomenon. This special issue critically considers identity and urban culture as central to the smart citychallenge. Current discourse on smart cities is obsessed with technological capability and development. Globalrankings reduce cities to a one-dimensional business model and series of metrics. If the term ‘smart city’ is tohave any enduring value, technology must be used to develop a city’s unique cultural identity and quality of lifefor the future. The editorial reviews emerging research on the cultural dimensions of urban innovation and smartcities and places the six special issue papers within a theoretical context. Each paper critiques smart city theoriesin relation to the practical challenge of enhancing urban identity, quality and value at a range of scales andgeographic contexts. Three main themes are used to frame the debate on smart cities and urban innovation: 1)local development histories, 2) face-to-face relationships and 3) local community scales. Each of these themes islacking in current smart city approaches and requires innovative approaches to integrate into the smart city oftomorrow+INFO: Forbes
+IMATGES: Forbes
