Author: Siddharth Venkatachalam
MSc Thesis AMS Institute - Re-thinking the Role of Citizens in Evaluating Quality of Life in the Smart City
MADE Student Project
Although there are multiple definitions of the concept, citizen engagement is understood as a crucial part of improving quality of life, the overall goal of the smart city. This study attempts to find out what role citizens can play in evaluating for quality of life by attempting to describe the relationship between the two in the context of smart city projects in Amsterdam. The inability of smart cities and smart projects to be able to identify their impact regarding quality of life demands the involvement of citizens in the process. Therefore, this research takes an interpretive approach to contextually study the setting of Amsterdam as a smart city and projects within it. The results show that Amsterdam, despite being labelled a “smart city”, is moving away from the term. Furthermore, its approach to development is inherently citizen-centric, placing a large importance on the quality of life. Still, challenges also exist in the city of Amsterdam, which are mentioned in the thesis.
References can be found inside the document.
Image credits
Header image: Responsible Urban Digitization
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