Abstract
The emergence of technology processes to be used and accessed in city spaces has come swiftly and a world of geospatially driven technology in the emerging smart city is now upon us. The ubiquity of digital technologies in the built environment of the smart city raise questions about how we approach, understand and categorize technologies for law and policy purposes. Areas traditionally looked at in relation to digital activities remain relevant, in addition, however, the smart city raises legal concerns that are often not considered by technology experts. Issues of human rights, legal obligations in relation to equality and promoting access to services, have not yet been substantively engaged with in the creation of the smart city. This chapter has argued that existing legal frameworks pertaining to human rights laws and norms provide guidance for developers of smart cities and must be adopted as guiding legal frameworks in the creation of the smart city. Early as it is in smart city processes there is an opportunity to identify and develop the appropriate legal frameworks to ensure the smart city protects and promotes human rights standards. Focusing on human rights driven legal frameworks will underscore that the “smart” in the smart city refers to more than advanced technology, and instead signals the development of human rights legal standards that are truly human focused, and equality driven.
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Notes
- 1.
Bernard Marr, “How Big Data and The Internet Of Things Create Smarter Cities,” (19 May 2015) Forbes. Online at https://www.forbes.com/sites/ber-nardmarr/2015/05/19/how-big-data-and-the-internet-of-things-create-smarter-cities/#d6658e117677. Last accessed 15 November 2018.
- 2.
Over 80% of Canadians live in urban areas. See Future Cities Forum 2018, p. 2.
- 3.
For an early examination of this, see Hollands 2008.
- 4.
Komninos 2002.
- 5.
Kitchin 2015a.
- 6.
Department for Business Innovation and Skills 2013.
- 7.
Cosgrove 2011.
- 8.
Lehr 2018, p. 3.
- 9.
See online Manchester Smarter City Programme, https://www.manchester.gov.uk/smartercity. Last accessed 31 August 2018
- 10.
Kitchin 2015b.
- 11.
Hollands 2008, p. 315.
- 12.
Hollands 2008, p. 306.
- 13.
Luke Dormehl, “The Road to Tomorrow: Streets Need to be as Smart as the Cars Driving on Them” (7 November 2016). Online at http://senseable.mit.edu/news/pdfs/20161107_Wired.pdf. Last accessed 15 November 2018.
- 14.
Impact Canada, “Creating a Platform for Bold Ideas” (undated). Online at https://impact.canada.ca/en/challenges/smart-cities. Last accessed 15 November 2018.
- 15.
See Warschauer 2002.
- 16.
General Assembly, Oral Revisions of 30 June, HRC, 2016, thirty-second session, A/HRC/32/L/20.
- 17.
- 18.
Oomen and Baumgartel 2014, p. 710.
- 19.
Lozner 2008.
- 20.
van den Berg 2016.
- 21.
Oomen 2016, pp. 1–19.
- 22.
UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights 2012.
- 23.
Formally adopted by Florence UCLG World Council in 2011.
- 24.
- 25.
Convention on the Rights of the Child, GA Res 44/25, 20th November 1989.
- 26.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, GA Res 2200A (XXI), 16 December 1966.
- 27.
Ken Greenberg, “Future Cities: A Focus on Human-Centred Urbanism Enabled by Technology” (23 February 2018). Online at http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/posts/future-cities-a-focus-on-human-centred-urbanism. Last accessed 15 November 2018.
- 28.
Oomen and Baumgartel 2014, p. 726.
- 29.
- 30.
Purcell 2013, p. 146.
- 31.
McClellan 2018.
- 32.
Supra note 14, Impact Canada, “Creating a Platform for Bold Ideas”.
- 33.
Supra note 14, Impact Canada, “Creating a Platform for Bold Ideas”.
- 34.
The first stage of the smart city challenge closed April 2018. The final stage, the selection of the final winner has not occurred as of writing.
- 35.
City of Edmonton 2018, p. 4.
- 36.
City of Edmonton 2018, p. 5.
- 37.
City of Edmonton 2018, p. 20.
- 38.
City of Edmonton 2018, p. 3.
- 39.
City of Ottawa 2018, section 2.1.
- 40.
City of Ottawa 2018, section 2.2, program goal 3.
- 41.
City of Ottawa 2017.
- 42.
City of Ottawa 2018, section 2.2.
- 43.
- 44.
City of Edmonton 2018, p. 12.
- 45.
See City of Edmonton, “Smart City Awards.” Online at https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/initiatives_innovation/smart-city-awards-recognition.aspx. Last accessed 15 November 2018.
- 46.
Specifically, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (S.C. 2000, c. 5).
- 47.
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 2018.
- 48.
Supra note 14, Impact Canada, “Creating a Platform for Bold Ideas”.
- 49.
See Forlano 2013.
- 50.
Cardullo and Kitchin 2017, p. 3.
- 51.
Coletta et al. 2017.
- 52.
Kitchin 2016, p. 82.
- 53.
Sweeney 2015.
- 54.
Sadowski 2017, pp. 6–11.
- 55.
Forlano 2013.
- 56.
Human Rights Code 1990, section 1.
- 57.
Ontario 2010.
- 58.
Pasquale 2015.
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Brown, T.E. (2019). Human Rights in the Smart City: Regulating Emerging Technologies in City Places. In: Reins, L. (eds) Regulating New Technologies in Uncertain Times. Information Technology and Law Series, vol 32. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-279-8_4
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