UDC: 101.1:316.334.56
https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2026-3-136
EDN: JWHWGG


viewing

SMART CITY AS A PROJECT OF TECHNOCRATIC UTOPIA

O. N. Khalutornykh
Lomonosov Moscow State University; Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Russia
e-mail: olganik@yandex.ru

Abstract. This article provides a socio-philosophical analysis of the smart city phenomenon, identifying its ontological status and doxological foundations from the perspective of utopian discourse. The relevance of this topic is determined by the rapid digitalization of public space and the transformation of familiar forms of human coexistence under the influence of technology. The aim of this study is to understand the smart city phenomenon and analyze its essential characteristics in the context of the utopian tradition. The author convincingly demonstrates that the smart city concept is not simply a set of technological solutions, but a special form of social organization gravitating toward a technocratic utopia. The research method is based on structural-functional and systemic analysis, allowing us to consider the smart city as a significant element in the formation of modern reality. Relying on the case study method, the author examines the cities of Songdo, Masdar, and Innopolis as the realization of a variant of a technocratic utopia, with its inherent contradictions.

The study found that the new sociality formed by algorithmic management and digitalization of public space is characterized by a profound dichotomy. On the one hand, it implies an unprecedented increase in inclusion, efficiency, safety, comfort, and quality of life. On the other hand, an analysis of the results of the practical implementation of pilot projects reveals a serious discrepancy between the expectations of their apologists and reality - the introduction of technologies inevitably gives rise to the risks of total digital control, the disappearance of privacy, increased social differentiation, and the suppression of individuality. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the substantiation of the paradoxical nature of technocratic utopias: striving for the ideal organization of society only through technological solutions, they inevitably give rise to the risks of dehumanization of public space, the formation of a «surveillance dystopia», lead a person to the severance of deep connections, and change the basis of social communication. The identification of this pattern confirms the key thesis of the study that utopian models are not neutral mental constructs; they actively influence the choice of real trajectories of social development. The practical significance of this study lies in identifying possible ways to overcome technocratic determinism. As a possible alternative, the author examines the «responsive city» model (K. Ratti’s concept), which shifts the emphasis from total control to the co-creation of humans, nature, and technology, while embracing maximum data openness. This approach, in theory, minimizes identified risks and maintains a balance between the effectiveness of the new urban environment and the fundamental values of individual freedom. However, despite its appeal, the author believes this model is also highly utopian. Its practical implementation requires a high level of public consensus and a willingness on the part of ruling elites to significantly limit their own power. Such conditions are virtually unattainable in real life and place the «responsive city» model on par with the idealized constructs it seeks to overcome. Further research could focus on developing specific mechanisms for implementing smart city principles into existing urban planning and management practices.

Key words: smart city, technocratic utopia, digitalization, management technology, social risks.

Cite as: Khalutornykh, O. N. (2026) [Smart City as a project of technocratic utopia]. Intellekt. Innovacii. Investicii [Intellect. Innovations. Investments]. Vol. 3, pp. 136–144. – https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2026-3-136.


References

  1. Adonina, A. V., Akhmedova, E. A., Kandalova, A. D. (2018) [Implementation of the Digital Utopia of a Media City]. Privolzhskiy nauchnyy zhurnal [Volga Scientific Journal]. Vol. 3 (47), pp. 119–127. (In Russ.).
  2. Akimova, O. E., Volkov, S. K., Khryseva, A. A. (2020) [The «Smart City» Concept: Evolution, Elements and Form of Implementation]. Teoreticheskaya ekonomika [Theoretical Economics]. Vol. 6 (66), pp. 55–63. (In Russ.).
  3. Bezverbny, V. A., et al. (2021) Goroda budushchego: prostranstvennoe razvitie, souchastvuyushchee upravlenie i tvorcheskie industrii [Cities of the Future: Spatial Development, Participatory Governance and Creative Industries]. Moscow: Business Publ., 376 p.
  4. Zoderkvist, J., Bard, A. (2004) NETokratiya. Novaya pravyaschaya elita i zhizn posle kapitalizma [Netocracy: The New Power Elite and Life After Capitalism]. St. Petersburg: Stockholm School of Economics in St. Petersburg, 252 p.
  5. Ilyina, I. N., Kono, M. (2023) Transformatsiya podkhodov k razvitiyu «umnogo goroda» [Transformation of Approaches to the Development of a «Smart City»]. Moscow: HSE University Publ., 248 p. – https://doi.org/10.17323/978-5-7598-2579-1. (In Russ.).
  6. Le Corbusier, Ch. E. (1976) Tri formy rasseleniya. Afinskaya khartiya [The Three Forms of Settlement. The Athens Charter]. Transl. from French by J. Rosenbaum. Moscow: Stroyizdat Publ., 137 p.
  7. Litvintsev, D. B. (2023) [Housing Dystopia in Modern Society: A Sociological Diagnosis]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Filosofiya. Sotsiologiya. Politologiya [Tomsk State University Journal of Philosophy, Sociology and Political Science]. Vol. 72, pp. 180–189. – https://doi.org/10.17223/1998863X/72/16. (In Russ.).
  8. Nekhamkin, V. A., Sachkova, V. A. (2012) [The Images of the «City of the Future» in the Culture of the 20th – Early 21st Centuries: Myths and Reality]. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo oblastnogo universiteta. Seriya: Filosofskie nauki [Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University. Series: Philosophical Sciences]. Vol. 3, pp. 47–55. (In Russ.).
  9. Plotnikov, V. A., Kartashova, Yu. V. (2021) [Development Prospects and Threats of the «Smart City» Concept Implementation (on the Example of St. Petersburg)]. Ekonomicheskiy vektor [Economic Vector]. Vol. 1 (24), pp. 131–138. – https://doi.org/10.36807/2411-7269-2021-1-24-131-138. (In Russ.).
  10. Zaporozhets, O., et al. (2021) Seti goroda. Lyudi, tekhnologii, vlasti [Urban Networks. People, Technologies, Power]. Ed. by E. Lapina-Kratasyuk et al.; Moscow: New literature review Publ., 574 p. (In Russ., transl. from Engl.).
  11. Townsend, A. (2019) Umnye goroda: bolshie dannye, grazhdanskie khakery i poiski novoy utopii [Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and the Quest for a New Utopia]. Moscow: Gaidar Institute Publ., 398 p.
  12. Chanturia, V. A. (Ed.) (1991) Utopiya i utopicheskoe myshlenie: antologiya zarubezhnoy literatury [Utopia and Utopian Thinking: An Anthology of Foreign Literature]. Moscow: Progress Publ., 405 p.
  13. Foucault, M. (2016) Nadzirat i nakazyvat. Rozhdenie tyurmy [Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison]. Moscow: Ad Marginem Press, 383 p. (In Russ, transl. from French).
  14. Alwinkle, S., Cruickshank, P. (2011) Creating smart-er cities: An Overview. Journal of Urban Technology. Vol. 18. No. 2, pp. 1–16. – https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2011.601103. (In Eng.).
  15. Bright, J. (1995) The Smart City: communications Utopia or future reality. Telecommunications-International Edition. Vol. 29. No. 9, pp. 175–181. (In Eng.).
  16. Cardullo, Р., Kitchin, R. (2018) Smart urbanism and smart citizenship: The neoliberal logic of ‘citizen-focused’ smart cities in Europe. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. Vol. 37. No. 5, pp. 813–830. – https://doi.org/10.1177/0263774X18806508. (In Eng.).
  17. Cugurullo, F. (2021) Frankenstein Urbanism: Eco, Smart and Autonomous Cities, Artificial Intelligence and the End of the City. Abingdon, Oxon; New York : Routledge, 213 p. – https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315652627. (In Eng.).
  18. Finger, M., Razaghi, M. (2017) Conceptualizing «Smart Cities». Informatik-Spektrum. Vol. 40. No. 1, pp. 6–13. (In Eng.).
  19. Hollands, R. G. (2008) Will the real smart city please stand up? The City. Vol. 12. No. 3, pp. 303–320. (In Eng.).

In order for us to provide you with high-quality services, we use cookies that are stored on your computer (location information; ip-address; type, language, OS and browser version; device type and screen resolution; source from which you came to site the user; what pages the user opens and what buttons the user clicks; the same information is used to process statistical data on the use of the site through the Yandex.Metrika Internet service). By clicking the "I agree" button, you confirm that you are informed about the use of cookies on our website. You can disable cookies in your browser settings.