Reclaiming data for improved city governance: Barcelona’s New Data Deal

Fernando Fernandez-Monge, Sarah Barns, Rainer Kattel and Francesca Bria
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Fernando Fernandez-Monge: University College London, UK Harvard University, USA
Sarah Barns: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia
Rainer Kattel: University College London, UK
Francesca Bria: University College London, UK

Urban Studies, 2024, vol. 61, issue 7, 1291-1307

Abstract: Cities today are key sites for the operation of global digital marketplaces. It is on the curbsides and at the intersections of cities where technology companies and digital platforms gain access to valuable urban data to be used in the delivery of data-driven services. In this context, urban data ownership and control have become a central policy arena for smart city governance. This article argues that, given the increased policy activism by city governments, there is an urgent need to better understand the key goals and instruments deployed by cities to resist corporate control of urban data. It first reviews the treatment of the topic by different strands in the literature on smart city governance and then uses the ‘New Data Deal’ programme launched by the city of Barcelona to draw empirical data from one of the author’s involvement leading the programme, interviews with actors involved in the programme as well as from key policy and evaluation documents. By studying the design and implementation of Barcelona’s ‘New Data Deal’, an early mover and leading reference in the academic and policy debates, the article presents the key successes, limitations and tensions faced by a city government trying to regain access and control over urban data, including a reflection on the role that city governments can play in shaping a global agenda around improved data governance.

Keywords: Barcelona; city governance; data ownership; open data; platform urbanism; smart city; urban data; å·´å¡žç½—é‚£; åŸŽå¸‚æ²»ç †; æ•°æ ®æ‰€æœ‰æ ƒ; å¼€æ”¾æ•°æ ®; å¹³å °åŸŽå¸‚åŒ–; 智慧城市; åŸŽå¸‚æ•°æ ® (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:61:y:2024:i:7:p:1291-1307

DOI: 10.1177/00420980231204835

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