A Systematic Methodology for Technology Interventions in the Urban Environment

: An Application of Soft-Systems Thinking and the Development of Novel Technology to Support Urban Management

Abstract

Urban management relies on many complex socio-technical systems, each with a range of different stakeholders who may have competing values. It is hoped that novel technology will help improve and understand these systems, but they are highly interconnected, making it impossible to predict the outcome of any changes that are made.
This thesis presents a novel methodology designed to support technology-based interventions in the urban environment. This methodology draws from a number of theories developed to help confront ‘wicked’ problems, such as those inherent in urban management, and combines an understanding of both soft-system interaction and hard-system development. This methodology targets urban management systems at an operational level, hoping to achieve ‘small wins’ that either improve, or inform on, the urban management system that is the focus of the intervention.
This thesis then describes the implementation of this methodology, in a series of three real- world case studies. Each case study intervenes in a different urban management system, with different stakeholders and different goals. It is shown how the methodology supported each of these interventions, and arguably achieved the incremental improvements being sought.

Date of Award	2 Dec 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	R E Wilson (Supervisor) & Dimitra Simeonidou (Supervisor)