Cities paradoxes and geography of platformisation

Here we explore the entangled relationship between physical and digital infrastructures, dissecting their common properties (West 2018), proposing new methods for platform urbanism and diving deeper into its paradoxes. Paradox of decentralization comes from digital networks and urban platforms which promote the dispersal of economic activities across geographical space beyond cities themselves (McQuire 2008), yet these network structures produce increasing concentrations of power needing the decentralized governance structure of global cities. Paradox of connection-disconnection between platforms and urban systems they populate, is deeply rooted on the fact that platforms are disembedded from cities, yet are heavily relying on their infrastructures (Smets et al. 2021). Previously some studies examined the fluidity of the relations in “platformized” cities calling the emergence of new kind of city without place attached to it, “ageographical” or “post-metropolis” city (Soja 2000). For obtaining more clarity regarding both paradoxes we will introduce several approaches, specifically adapted to the context of the platform urbanism:

1. Data-driven approach is applicable when structured data is available or can be collected through urban platforms. Analysis for such urban platform data includes statistical and network methods (De Domenico et al. 2013, Skarlatidou et al.2021).
2. Data-sharing approach is applicable when data-sharing and data collection pipelines need to be set. Platforms such as Uber make use of the geographical information from city infrastructures, transforming it into value for these companies. This value, analyzed using data-driven approaches and assessed by privacy non-violation techniques, can then be returned back to urban systems.
3. Participatory approach is applicable in the context when no structured data is accessible from urban systems or platforms, and is based on development of strategies for data collection in a decentralized way through the engagement and empowerment of citizens. This approach relies on sculpting the governance, infrastructure, projects and strategies for our cities using methods from citizen science (Skarlatidou et al. 2021), participatory modeling and simulations (Etienne et al. 2011).

Overall, data-driven methods and digital technologies can support participatory approaches in several ways. For example, these tools can help to gather and analyze data, identify patterns and trends, and facilitate communication and collaboration among stakeholders. By using data and technology to empower citizens, participatory approaches can become more effective, efficient, and inclusive.

Read more in references:

De Domenico M., Lima A., Musolesi M., Interdependence and Predictability of Human Mobility and Social Interactions arxiv 1210.2376 (2012)
Sauermann, H., Vohland, K., Antoniou, V., Balaz, B., Goebel, C., Karatzas, K., Mooney, P., Perello, J., Ponti, M., Samson, R., & Winter, S. 2020. Citizen science and sustainability transitions. Research Policy, 49(5): 103978 (2020)
Skarlatidou, E. A., & Haklay, M. (n.d.). Geographic Citizen Science Design (2021)
Smets, A. & Lievens, B., Human Sensemaking in the Smart City: A Research Approach Merging Big and Thick Data, Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings. American Anthropological Association, Vol. 1. p. 179–194 (2019)

Relevant links and materials:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02723638.2020.1717028