Intelligent Communities—Towards a New Ontology of Practice

Abstract

Cities are becoming an integral part of the human condition on a global scale. They hold the capacity to transform human life with increasing acceleration beyond what ought to be ever possible. However, at the same time, the everyday life experiences of humans in cities have become increasingly complex. These experiences need to be understood in order to shape urban conditions, and therefore, prevent crisis and consequently system collapse. Of particular concern is the doubt that we are able to achieve shared visions such as the New Urban Agenda and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in relation to the human-caused COVID-19 pandemic and associated setbacks. The dilemma is deeply rooted in the human condition; in the way how reality is being conceived, impacts our health and solutions being offered to solve challenges in cities from a smart city perspective. Undoubtedly, to achieve the SDGs, we need to undergo a transformational change. In order to resolve this dilemma, this contribution suggests urgently renegotiating our ontology of practice. This new ontology of practice may embrace the concept of Intelligent Communities which aligns ‘thinking’ with ‘doing’ and enables meaningful actions that enrich everyday life experiences in cities in a way that yet has to be collectively realised.