Las prácticas participativas en la construcción de la Carta Brasileña para Ciudades Inteligentes

The Brazilian Charter for Smart Cities (CBCI), a technical partnership between the Brazilian and German governments, establishes guidelines for the implementation of smart cities in Brazil. It was built between 2019 and 2020, with the collaboration of various social sectors. Its development deserves attention, since social participation would tend to counter techno-solutionist and market-focused biases of smart cities, addressing inclusive aspects. However, the participatory dynamics design can shape different models of power exercise, influencing the level of social intervention (Freitas, 2020; Mello Rose, 2022). Here, the rhetoric of smart cities is also considered, where ICTs would enhance participation. Thus, the study seeks to understand how the design of the CBCI’s participatory process influenced the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs). This is a qualitative study, which includes bibliographic review, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews. It was concluded that the CBCI process, although well organized, limited the participation of CSOs more broadly due to a political context of low participation and dynamics which favoured those with more resources. In addition, has not succeeded in overcoming access barriers.