Smart Cities and Law, E.Governance and Rights: Contributing to the Definition and Implementation of a Global Strategy for Smart Cities

The project consisted of fundamental and empirical research on smart cities, conducted by a multidisciplinary research team involving lawyers, computer engineers, and civil engineers. It focused on three key challenges faced by policy makers, legislators, and public administrators when dealing with the goal of promoting smart cities and digital transition: (i) the adoption of digital technologies in the management of public organisations; (ii) the promotion of cities where technologies are an integral part of the urban fabric and social practices, including matters concerning public bodies and the labour relations between them and their employees; and (iii) the solution of problems arising out of the treatment of data, with the difficult balance between an open (or circular) economy of data and the protection of citizens’ privacy and secrets. The team engaged in the theoretical debates about the concept of smart cities and about the legal and ethical frame of reference for city governance, covering various aspects of smart cities, such as smart mobility (of people, goods, and data), urban planning models, and urban micro-logistics.

Duration: May 2021 – April 2023.

PI: Isabel Celeste Fonseca

Website: O Projeto – Smart Cities and Law

Team: Alessandra Silveira, Ana Fragata, Anabela Gonçalves, António D. Costa, César Analide, Francisco Andrade, Joana Covêlo de Abreu, Luís Amaral, Marciele Berger Bernardes, Paulo Novais, Teresa Moreira.

Funding: Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under the NORTE-45-2020-75 call – Strengthening Research, Technological Development and Innovation – “Structured R&D&I Projects” – Horizon Europe, within the framework of the Norte’s Regional Operational Programme (Norte 2020), of the Portugal 2020.

JusGov Research Groups: E.Tec