Public displays and citizen participation: a systematic literature review and research agenda
Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy
ISSN: 1750-6166
Article publication date: 19 June 2020
Issue publication date: 9 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to study how current research reports reflect on using public displays in the smart city. In particular, it looks at the state-of-the-art of this domain from two angles. On the one hand, it investigates the participation of citizens in the development of public displays. On the other hand, it aims at understanding how public displays may foster citizen participation in addressing urban issues. Its goal is to provide a literature review of this field, and a research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following a thoroughly detailed protocol. It surveys 34 recent papers through multiple aspects, including interaction modality, level of participation, socio-demographics of participating citizens, topic of participation, evaluation of the display and participation of end-users in the early development stages of the display. Then, a research agenda informed by the results of the SLR is discussed in light of related literature.
Findings
The SLR showed that further research is needed to improve the involvement of citizens in the early stages of the development of public displays, broaden the spectrum of citizen participation achieved through public displays, integrate public displays with other means of participation and handle the changing urban context to improve the participation experience.
Originality/value
Previous literature reviews have been conducted in the field of public displays, including one specifically related to citizen participation. However, they have emphasized the technological aspects of public displays and omitted other essential aspects. This article aims at addressing this gap by conducting a literature review, including also non-technological perspectives such as socio-demographics and participation in development, complementing other works.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) for their support.
The research pertaining to these results received financial aid from the ERDF for the Wal-e-Cities project with award number [ETR121200003138] and the Federal Science Policy according to the agreement of subsidy [BR/154/A4/FLEXPUB].
Citation
Clarinval, A., Simonofski, A., Vanderose, B. and Dumas, B. (2021), "Public displays and citizen participation: a systematic literature review and research agenda", Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-12-2019-0127
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited