Towards collaborative smart cities: a participatory framework to co-develop an environmental monitoring dashboard along the Texas Coast

Oswald Jenewein, Michelle A. Hummel, Karabi Bezboruah and Yonghe Liu

International Journal of Urban Sciences, 2025, vol. 29, issue S1, 92-114

Abstract: Cities in coastal regions are particularly prone to experiencing environmental impacts arising from both natural and human causes. Additionally, Climate Change imposes stressors on communities along shorelines. Smart city concepts can assist communities in informed decision-making, building on technology-based approaches to measure and evaluate various aspects of everyday life in cities. While smart city concepts have gained significant momentum over past decades, this study presents an approach to integrate the human factor from the early stages of developing smart cities. The active engagement of residents underscores the pursuit of data accessibility and equity within urban governance. This study outlines a comprehensive participatory framework integrating local knowledge and stakeholder engagement into designing and implementing an environmental monitoring data dashboard for coastal communities. By leveraging insights from multiple disciplines – including urban design & planning, civil engineering, computer science, and public policy – this research seeks to create a sociotechnical network that effectively addresses the complex interplay between technology and human factors. To do so, this study follows the Participatory Action Research paradigm, deploying a mixed-methods approach for developing a data dashboard tailored to the specific needs of communities and their environmental challenges. The Texas Coastal Bend Region serves as a case-study to demonstrate the development and application of a six-step participatory framework, developing a sociotechnical monitoring network on flooding, air quality, and water quality. The outcomes of this study serve as a guide for engaged scholars and designers in developing participatory frameworks for designing data dashboards addressing academic and non-academic constituents, residents seeking informed insights, and decision-makers entrusted with the stewardship of urban development in a vulnerable context.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/12265934.2024.2438201

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