Paper short abstract

This paper examines how science-based, evidence-driven participatory infrastructures in smart cities shape public engagement by privileging expert knowledge and digitally literate publics. Drawing on Barcelona and Amsterdam, it develops a Networked Justice perspective on participatory governance.

Paper long abstract

Smart cities increasingly rely on science-based and evidence-driven tools to support public engagement and participatory governance. While these initiatives promise more inclusive decision-making, they often reproduce asymmetries between expert knowledge and everyday urban experience. Participatory infrastructures and digital engagement tools are frequently designed according to technical and institutional logics that presuppose high levels of digital literacy and familiarity with scientific or administrative language, thereby privileging specific publics and forms of participation.

Drawing on qualitative research and case studies from Barcelona and Amsterdam, this paper explores how gaps between system designers, planners, and citizens shape patterns of inclusion and exclusion in science-based urban governance. The findings highlight how participation is often structured around “manageable” forms of engagement that align with dominant epistemic norms, while alternative forms of knowledge and lived experience remain marginalised.

Building on these insights, the paper develops a Networked Justice perspective for analysing participatory governance through digital, temporal, and experiential dimensions. It argues that addressing these limitations requires rethinking participatory design beyond technical efficiency, towards more reflexive and context-sensitive models that preserve the value of expert knowledge while expanding democratic legitimacy in smart city governance.

Keywords: participatory governance; science-based public engagement; expert knowledge; inclusion and exclusion; Networked Justice.