Martha F. Davis, Alejandro Jaramillo Jimenez, Kimberly D. Lucas and Annabel Shu, Human Rights and the Smarter City, Open Global Rights (July 1, 2025)
This article argues for a better approach to ensuring human rights in “smart cities” across the United States, highlighting Boston in particular. Boston is exploring how to become a “smart city,” a place where residents are involved in decisions, privacy is protected, and technology works for everyone. Boston is the first in the United States to have a local government innovation office for this purpose. There are, however, human rights concerns that often accompany smart city campaigns. This article argues for a bottom-up approach, providing human rights-informed processes for public involvement and feedback, and prioritizing human rights obligations. Read the article here.