Emergent technologies, sometimes referred to as Disruptive Digital Technologies (DDTs), including social media, machine-learning, 3-D printing, advanced robotics, unmanned vehicles (drones) and the Internet of Things (IoT), provoke argument over the opportunities for realising “smart cities” but also the threats of introducing new vulnerabilities for the security of city-regions. Given the rapid evolution of these technologies and uncertainty about their likely impact, this special issue contains contributions of a conceptual, methodological and/or empirical focus that consider how social science can better understand and respond to the opportunities and threats of smart cities. Mindful of the orientation of this Journal, the special issue includes reflections on how emergent technologies can alter our understanding of what constitutes the territory and architecture of security in smart cities, and how public authorities are making sense of the challenges presented by emergent technologies for urban governance.
Guest edited by Adam Edwards and Marco Calaresu
