La sfida delle città: includere i cittadini

In contemporary societies cities have to deal with complex issues (global warming, the rise of economic inequalities, migration) and it has been repeatedly claimed that smart polities can provide the right answer to these problems. This paper will argue that smart cities are characterised by a lack of democratic accountability and will assess if deliberative ideal can reform democratic institutions so as to ensure the legitimacy of urban policies. The paper will challenge this perspective by claiming that it justifies an idea of democracy as problem-solving that is not compatible with pluralism and cannot ensure the legitimacy of urban policies. An alternative, grounded on a procedural account of democracy, will be finally sketched.