Shaping an alternative smart city discourse through Twitter: Amsterdam and the role of creative migrants

Abstract

Smart urbanism is driven by a discourse promoting technological solutions for urban problems often neglecting social needs. The aim of this paper is to identify signs of an alternative smart city discourse in the communication of creative skilled migrants active in The Netherlands. We employ a language analysis of the (geo-tagged) Twitter data in combination with a social network analysis. We show that creative migrants contribute to the smart city discourse by relating technology to common good. They broadcast globally information about innovative projects, social initiatives and environmental issues, setting the basis for the experimental city. We conclude that a social media analysis, based on the innovative methodology proposed, provides valuable knowledge that can inform urban planners on a more socially driven use of (digital) technology in the development of smart cities.