"Smart" Participation: Confronting Theoretical and Operational Perspectives

This paper explores the relatively new phenomenon of citizen participation in the Smart City context. We present a case study comparative analysis of three participatory approaches implemented in three European Smart Cities. Each of those operational perspectives is studied in view of the theoretical concepts conveyed by the scientific state of the art, this way highlighting similarities and gaps between theory and practice. The results are focused on (i) the various existing interpretations of the “citizen participation” and the “Smart City” definitions, on (ii) the different selection processes applied in all three cases to recruit the participating citizens and on (iii) the benefits and drawbacks associated with the implementation of participative processes in a Smart City. The article closes with a discussion about key elements to keep in mind when implementing a bottom-up participative approach in the context of a Smart City. Eventually, the confrontation between theoretical and practical perspectives results in a revisited version of Arstein’s ladder of citizen participation, adapted to the Smart City context.