Societal smart city: Definition and principles for post-pandemic urban policy and practice

Smart cities are expected to address global challenges and increase the quality of life. However, due to the overemphasis on physical and technological aspects, social rights and democratic values have often been neglected in smart city projects. In this paper, we introduce the concept of 'societal smart city' and discuss how and why it should be prioritized in the post-pandemic era. We argue that a societal smart city is a city that integrates social rights and democratic values with technological innovations. Six major dimensions of a societal smart city are: social sustainability, citizen-centeredness, e-democracy, social justice, participatory governance, and cultural resilience. We encourage urban planners and policymakers to pay attention to these dimensions and caution against physical and technological determinism.

Freedom of Speech and Democratic Values in the Digital Epoch: A Critical Perspective on the Post-totalitarian Media Culture

This chapter analyzes the report of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the World Press Freedom Index in relation to the cultural values in different societies. Its main statement is that the political and social processes in a given country are predetermined by the cultural values deeply rooted in the collective consciousness. The research demonstrates that there is a special interrelation between cultural values and freedom of speech. Highly individualized societies are placed on the top of the ranking in the World Press Freedom Index, while more collectivistic cultures take lower places. Also, the paper claims that the ranking of the Reporters Without Borders may show the current situation in the press but it should not be applied to other media and forms of speech, such as the digital media or the social protests. Bulgaria is an example of a country where the press is influenced by political and business interests. Simultaneously, if there is a pressure exercised on the traditional media, there is practically no regulation in the digital ones, where during the pandemic of COVID-19, fake news, rumors, and conspiracy theories have been widely spread. This fact proves that the freedom of speech is a result of the existing cultural values and that a balance should be achieved between the individual freedoms and rights, on the one hand, and the media regulation and media education, on the other. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Spaces and Prospects for Student Empowerment in the Debt-Ridden Greek Education System. Future Possibilities for Change According to Student's Views

This paper presents a research project that was conducted in Athens, Greece in 2018 and 2019. The main objective of this project was to address students' views on Greek society and education in the context of the socio-economic crisis, their prospects, and their aspirations for educational and social transformation. The paper concentrates on students' views on education and discusses the role of schools in creating democratic societies. It provides a closer insight into possible ways of thinking about education, and food for thought for any attempts to deconstruct or initiate radical change in the education system. It looks at the potentialities and possibilities of deploying critical pedagogy as a mode of resistance for transformative and empowering education within the Greek education system. It concludes that during times of multiple crises, critical pedagogy is clearly relevant and has a responsibility to rethink its views and practices, build active resistance and engage in fostering educational and social change that can lead to a more just, equal and fair society.

Reflections on contemporary challenges and possibilities for democracy and education

This paper is one of two which bring together leading educational researchers to consider some of the key challenges facing democracy and education during the twenty-first century, including rising social and economic inequality, political instability, and the existential threats of global pandemics and climate change. In this paper, key educational scholar–activists respond to the challenges and possibilities for democracy and education, with consideration of the importance of reimagining education as being for democracy. The questions asked in this paper have particular salience for educational leaders, who must be at the centre of any commitment to democratic education. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Educational Administration & History is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)