Machine-Readable Cities

Digital platforms increasingly transform cities into machine-readable environments by converting urban space and everyday activity into data for prediction, classification, and automated decision-making. As AI-driven geospatial models expand, they reshape navigation, governance, surveillance, and military operations, raising urgent questions about power, accountability, and the future relationship between humans, machines, and urban space.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Current History
Published
2026-10-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.2026.125.875.44
Primary Topic
Smart Cities and Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Machine-Readable Cities

Laura Kurgan
Current History
Smart Cities and Technologies
article

Machine-Readable Cities

Laura Kurgan
article en

Abstract

Digital platforms increasingly transform cities into machine-readable environments by converting urban space and everyday activity into data for prediction, classification, and automated decision-making. As AI-driven geospatial models expand, they reshape navigation, governance, surveillance, and military operations, raising urgent questions about power, accountability, and the future relationship between humans, machines, and urban space.

Current HistoryVol. 125(875)
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Smart Cities and Technologies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.