Open Data as a Catalyst for the Smart City as a Local Innovation Platform

Abstract

This article aims to better frame the role of open data in the divergent operationalisations and interpretations of the smart city concept. We start by exploring top-down approaches to the smart city, followed by what purely bottom-up initiatives can look like. A clear overview of stakeholders' different viewpoints on the city of tomorrow is provided, particularly the consequences and potential impacts of these differing interpretations and approaches which should be of specific interest to researchers, policy makers, city administrations, private actors and anyone involved and concerned with life in cities. The approach of looking at the smart city as a local innovation platform is presented and we see the very specific role that open data initiatives can play in this context. The reuse of (specifically) public sector information and creating a surrounding ecosystem of public and private actors will be key in tackling future urban challenges and achieving smart city goals.

Keywords: open data, smart cities, open innovation, platforms.

JEL Classification: O2, O3, Q55