Starting from scratch: The articulated development of a smart city in Limerick, Ireland

This paper analyses the situated practice of developing a smart city in Limerick, Ireland. It maps out, at a city scale, how the development of the smart city was planned, organised, and governed, as well as ongoing challenges. It addresses two of the principal gaps in the smart city literature, namely, the scarcity of in-depth case studies based on extensive fieldwork and the shortage of studies on smart city development on brownfield sites. Source material was gathered through desk research and interviews with key stakeholders. Limerick adopted an articulated strategic approach to smart city development. The local government’s dedicated smart city unit played a vital role in planning, managing, and implementing smart city operations. The local government did not centralise the smart city development process. Over time, there has been a gradual shift towards the development of Quadruple Helix collaborations and a balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches. The paper also identifies the challenges that might restrain Limerick’s smart city ambitions. These include financial, budgetary, technological, and human resources challenges. It also identifies the challenge of digital exclusion and the need for greater citizen involvement in smart city development.