Tactical (Dis)Connection in Smart Cities (2021)

Smart cities mimic everyday connected processes where information is shared in smart contexts. It raises questions in terms of the roles of technical communicators in designing smart cities, data sharing, user advocacy, and the roles of citizens in shaping smart cities. As these processes are not yet well-developed in addressing citizen needs, we are compelled to investigate how agency of citizens––as data points, data bodies in assemblages, and as individuals separate from them––are defined in smart cities as well as their counterpart, playable cities. This collection explores the rhetorics of smart cities and playable cities, and how they define citizens’ agency.