Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to explore the notion of human flourishing in the context of urban life and the ambient in navigating a way forward for smart, learning, and future cities. As such, a review of the research literature is provided for human flourishing and for components such as connection, positivity, and resilience. Issues, controversies, and problems emerging from the literature review are highlighted informing the formulation of a conceptual framework for human flourishing in support of urban life and the ambient in smart cities. Using an exploratory case study approach combined with an explanatory correlational design, variables pertaining to the exploration are identified, and the nature of their relationship is assessed. Through the lens of human flourishing, focusing on urban connection, positivity, and resilience, urban life and the ambient is explored in navigating a way forward for smart cities while informing directions for future research and practice.
Top1. Introduction
Briggs and Reiss (2021) identify dimensions of human flourishing as the material, relational, and transcendent with the pillars being truth, purpose, and meaning. Dahl, Wilson-Mendenhall, and Davidson (2020) address the notion of the plasticity of well-being in the context of human flourishing identifying the core dimensions of awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Bickley, Macintyre, and Torgler (2021) refer to the notion of flourishing cities focusing on safety and the ‘human factor’ in relation to smart livable cities. Ekman and Simon-Thomas (2021) articulate the notion of human flourishing in terms of connection, positivity, and resilience (CPR) for the greater good, where, although conceptually akin to happiness, the term flourishing is used and described as “a broad quality of life.” Stahl, Andreou, Brey, Hatzakis, Kirichenko, Macnish, Laulhé Shaelou, Patel, Ryan, and Wright (2021) describe flourishing as “an ethical principle typically associated with virtue ethics” applied in relation to digital technologies, to explore “whether the influence of AI” as in, artificial intelligence, “on human flourishing is noticeable in the way AI is developed and deployed” where “what constitutes flourishing or how technology can contribute to it” is regarded as “AI for good.” For Goldenberg (2022), being able to imagine flourishing futures requires a “radical curiosity” as in digging deeper, excavating, requiring “a wider definition of well-being.” As such, this chapter is significant in that it seeks to explore the notion of human flourishing and flourishing more generally on the planet, in the context of urban life and the ambient in relation to smart cities, learning cities, and future cities giving rise to, and motivating, the explorations identified in the following objectives.
Objectives: The main objectives of this chapter are to: a) provide a review of the research literature for human flourishing and the associated dimensions of connection, positivity, and resilience in relation to urban life and the ambient in the context of smart cities; b) formulate a conceptual framework for human flourishing in support of urban life and the ambient in smart cities aided by connection, positivity, and resilience; and c) explore the relationship between variables in smart cities such as creative opportunities and visualizations of data that inspire as factors relevant to human flourishing that may provide insight into navigating the way forward in smart environments. The explorations in this chapter gives rise to the main research question, as follows: Why are connection, positivity, and resilience important for urban life and the ambient in smart, learning, and future cities?
Key Terms in this Chapter
Positivity: Positivity in a smart city context refers to a creative and solutions-oriented mindset in the face of complex, entangled, and wicked challenges and opportunities.
Ambient Connection: Ambient connection in a smart city context refers to more adaptive, dynamic, and in the moment approaches to activities, resources, or services in support of bridging, joining, and the fostering of relationships, collaborations, and trust.
Ambient Resilience: Ambient resilience in a smart city context refers to highly adaptive, responsive, and flexible capabilities in the face of uncertain, unexpected situations and circumstances.