Smart environments

The experience of being in a smart environment is everywhere and increasing daily. To many people, this is most manifested inside their homes as everyday technologies are increasingly becoming more connected and more sensitive to our individual uses. This chapter outlines some of the history and intellectual development behind the notion of smart environments. It also outlines and discusses the major claims and contributions in the field through a select number of empirical and theoretical perspectives aiming to represent an all-around picture of the smart city literature. Within smart city literature, the promise of innovation is frequently connected to an ‘engineering logic’, where the aim is to optimise the social layout, the urban infrastructure and network, and parts of human interactions. Mobilities in multiple forms, such as technological, geographic, digital, social, and cultural, shape cities and the urban environment. Smart city activities are also about social, cultural, political, economic, architectural, and ecological challenges.