Smart cities and the challenge of lived experience: Interpreting citizen-sensed data for inclusive urban futures

As cities increasingly adopt ‘smart’ approaches to urban sustainability challenges, there is a growing need to understand how the related data-driven technologies can meaningfully reflect citizens’ lived experiences. This article presents a case study of Cotham Hill, a pedestrianised street in Bristol, UK, where citizen engagement and sensor-based monitoring were used to understand the socio-technical impacts of a low-traffic neighbourhood. The research combines environmental sensing via Smart Citizen Kits, a survey, and thematic analysis of lived experiences to examine the contested transformation of the shared urban space. We document how residents sought to evaluate the effects of pedestrianisation on their quality of life by engaging in data collection efforts. Our findings show that experiential plurality across demographics, perceptions of fairness, and temporal patterns of disturbance shaped both the response to the intervention and the potential for socially just redesign. We, therefore, propose a conceptual process model towards a ‘responsive smart city intervention’. The study contributes to debates on citizen-sensing and participatory approaches to smart city development, illustrating the value of multiple forms of knowing in revealing how interventions towards smart and sustainable city development are negotiated on the ground.