Smart City Gnosys
Smart city article details
| Title | The City Of Knowledge And The Making Of A (Post) Neoliberal Space |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 55079 |
| Authors | Espinosa Andrade A. |
| Year | 2025 |
| Published | Urban Geography |
| DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2025.2510792 |
| Abstract | This paper analyzes the construction of a smart city under a self-described post-neoliberal government. Focusing on the discourse, imaginaries and contradictions during the implementation of the project “Yachay–city of knowledge” in Ecuador, and its consequent failure, the paper makes a twofold contribution to research on “new cities” and megaprojects. First, it demonstrates how a government with “anti-neoliberal” intentions for spatial restructuring continued to rely on a conventional megaproject narrative characterized by accumulation and exclusion. Second, this case highlights the critical role of urban and technical imaginaries in spatial transformation–not only for gaining the acceptance of local populations but also for securing recognition from key global actors. Through an idealized techno-transformation of space, the government naturalized a knowledge-technology-good living triad, overemphasizing the structures and imagery associated with technological innovation while imposing state dominance over local realities and demands. The Yachay project discloses the complexity of technology–and innovation-focused urban initiatives and reveals the inherent challenges and failures of “policy transfer” in the pursuit of constructing new cities and megaprojects. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. |
| Author Keywords | Megaproject; neoliberal space; policy mobilities; policy transfer; post-neoliberal space; r; smart city |
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