Urban Governance in Transition
Smart Cities, Public Administration, and Democratic Accountability
By Marco Ferretti
Panorama Scholarly Group Limited, 2026
Book Description
Drawing on fieldwork conducted across twelve metropolitan regions in Europe and East Asia, Marco Ferretti examines how the adoption of smart city technologies is reshaping the governance structures and democratic accountability of urban administrations. The monograph argues that smart urbanism is not merely a technological project but a political one, and that its implications for civic participation, data sovereignty, and administrative legitimacy demand sustained scholarly and policy attention.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Introduction: The Governance Turn in Smart Urbanism
- 2. Smart City Technologies and Administrative Transformation
- 3. Data, Surveillance, and the New Urban Bureaucracy
- 4. Democratic Accountability in Digitally Governed Cities
- 5. Civic Participation in the Platform City
- 6. Comparative Analysis: Twelve Metropolitan Cases
- 7. Conclusions: Toward a Critical Governance Framework
- Bibliography
- Index
About the Author
Marco Ferretti
Dr. Marco Ferretti is Assistant Professor of Urban Politics at the Rhenish Academy of Social Sciences. His research focuses on digital governance, urban policy, and public sector innovation.
How to Cite
PSG Format
Ferretti, Marco. 2026. Urban Governance in Transition: Smart Cities, Public Administration, and Democratic Accountability. Hong Kong: Panorama Scholarly Group Limited.
Copyright and Licensing
© 2026 Marco Ferretti. All rights reserved.
Published by Panorama Scholarly Group Limited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Copyright and licensing policy