The 'Governance' for Smart City Strategies and Territorial Planning

This article identifies methodologies for increasing the quality of life and acquiring a more democratic and participatory (inclusive) dimension in the new configuration of cities, in the case of smart cities. The analysis presents relevant strategies and implementation cases and investigates how ICT alter the meaning/ ideas of "urban planning", leading to an effective "governance", of a citizen-center approach. Additional questions examine whether increasing the technological 'networks', allowing automation and monitoring are sufficient tools for cities' regeneration or if matching technology with spatial participatory models that functionally insert the 'right' formal references in the urban planning is necessary. Public governance's success is measured based on the "listening capacity" and the facilities that are provided to citizens. As such, the paper reviews the ability in managing existing complex interrelations between facilities and urban spaces. Finally, it retraces the historical arc aiming at analyzing and providing insights into the future.