Dissertation Defense: Elana Sokol

"Exploring the Utopic Promise of Smart City Engagements"

This dissertation research explores the utopic promise of smart city engagements and the underlying dynamics that can contribute to detrimental conflicts. Insights generated from understanding these influential dynamics, such as trust and value commitments, create the opportunity to have better decision-making and transformative capabilities. A conflict resolution and business management lens have been applied to analyze the discursive and ethnographic-inspired data. Some of the findings uncovered a shift towards embracing a more inclusive and human-centered approach. Some conflicts and concerns that surfaced regarding the public-private partnership smart city engagements were operational safety/cyber-security, community disengagement, disharmonious decision-making, misaligned visions/values/interests, inequity, technical debts, urban development challenges, and complex social/ethical dynamics. If these different conflict scenarios are anticipated, managed, and transformed, it can result in more positive outcomes. Additionally, by applying conflict resolution perspectives to the development of smart cities, a mutually acceptable and achievable form of utopia may become possible. 

Committee:

Solon Simmons, Chair, Professor, Carter School, GMU

Daniel Rothbart, Professor, Carter School, GMU

Matthew A. Cronin, Professor, Business School, GMU