‘Daseinsvorsorge’ as a care-based principle of transformation: Perspective toward a caring development of sustainable cities

Cities around the world are using smart city approaches to transform urban infrastructures toward sustainability. Critical academic studies of smart city projects often fail to integrate the aspect of care. Based on empirical evidence, I argue that öffentliche Daseinsvorsorge (public services provided to fulfil basic human needs) as a guiding principle of urban development can serve as a starting point for responsible research and innovation that considers questions of care. To do so, I first develop the concept of Daseinsvorsorge, which will serve as a critical lens to evaluate transformation projects from a perspective of care. Then I situate the concept in broader academic debates on responsible research and innovation (RRI) and technology assessment (TA). Furthermore, I propose Daseinsvorsorge as a concrete normative framework that reflects the role of municipal administrations and their responsibilities toward the citizens.