Constructing the smart city beyond the state: Exploring the conditions for institutional change in Mexico City

Research indicates that citizen participation in the smart city is typically limited in practice. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, several institutional factors acted to limit citizen participation in Mexico City’s smart city activities. This paper explores whether the exogenous shock of the pandemic disrupted socio-political institutions unhelpful to citizen participation in smart city development. It notes that the pandemic had limited impact on this institutional environment. The paper argues that securing meaningful citizen-oriented smart city innovation therefore requires an alternative approach. It argues that in Mexico City genuine citizen orientation could be facilitated through the construction of an alternative smart city founded on civil society organizations. To support this proposition, it draws on a co-creation exercise led from beyond the state. Developing such an alternative smart city will, however, require institutional work on the part of local actors and key additional resources. The paper explores processes of shifting towards more participatory smart city development models that are relevant to the global pursuit of the alternative smart city.