This book offers a fascinating exploration of the relationship between information and
communication technologies (ICTs) and spatial planning expanding the concept of urban
smartness from the usual scale of buildings or urban projects to the regional dimension. In
particular it presents the outcomes of research undertaken at Politecnico di Milano in
collaboration with Telecom Italia that had three principal goals: to investigate the use of
ICTs for the representation promotion management and dissemination of an integrated system
of services to explore the spatial impacts of digital services at different scales (regional
urban local) and to understand how a system of mobile services can encourage new spatial uses
and new collective behavior in the quest for better spatial quality of places. Useful critical
analysis of international case studies is also included with the aim of verifying the
opportunities afforded by new digital services not only to improve the urban efficiency but
also to foster the evolution of urban communities through enhancement of the public realm. The
book will be a source of valuable insights for both scholars and local administrators and
operators involved in smart city projects.
