Tech-led urban transition and citizen participation in civic governance: Case study from an Indian city

Abstract

Globally, citizen-centric development has been widely advocated for a just, smart and sustainable transition of urban centers amid the rising urbanization and cities emerging as engines of growth. Against the tech-centric approach, effective citizen participation in urban local governance and development has been stated as the key to reaching that goal. However, scholarly work on urban governance and citizen participation has highlighted the institutional bottlenecks hindering active citizenry. Echoing similar concerns on urban governance, this paper examines the challenges of citizen-centric governance in case of the Indian city of Patna under the national urban scheme of Smart Cities Mission. Launched in 2015, the mission has marked a decade of implementation of ‘smart’ projects in selected 100 cities for urban transformation ensuring quality living to residents through smart solutions. Relying on primary data collected through an online survey, the paper finds lack of awareness among the respondents about the city-level governance structure, reflecting a disconnect between city government and citizens. A moderate positive correlation has been found between awareness about municipal wards and citizens lodging civic complaints. Furthermore, a negligible impact has been found with respect to citizens relying on social media and tech-based apps to engage in urban governance and accessing civic services. This paper contributes to the literature on urban governance and citizenship emphasizing on increased civic awareness about institutions of urban governance for active citizen participation beyond tech-led apparatus.