Data and Cities as Complex Adaptive Systems

Between 2015 and 2017, TSL was part of the ESRC-funded Strategic Network on Data and Cities as Complex Adaptive Systems (DACAS), which brought together researchers from a range of different fields, including architecture, environmental economics and theoretical physics.

The project focused on the ability of smart cities to contribute towards sustainability using ICT technologies that perform data collection, performance monitoring and management. Services that were surveyed included parking, highway speed controls, refuse collection, water infrastructure and energy grids.

The project studied the potential of these technologies to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, the relationships between citizens, technology providers and local government, deployment strategies, privacy and accountability.