Negotiating Technology and Urban Governance: An Urban Studies Perspective on Smart Cities in North India

Abstract

This study investigates the negotiation between technology and urban governance in North Indian smart cities, emphasising how governance capacity, technological infrastructure, and citizen engagement interact to influence smart city outcomes. Drawing on both primary data from 600 residents and 75 key stakeholders across five representative cities—Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, and Varanasi—and secondary data from government reports and scholarly sources, the study employs a combination of descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, chi-square, ANOVA, and thematic qualitative analysis. The findings reveal that metropolitan cities with strong institutional capacity and high citizen participation, such as Delhi and Chandigarh, achieve greater adoption of smart city initiatives and higher satisfaction levels, whereas tier-two and heritage cities face challenges arising from bureaucratic constraints, socio-cultural factors, and resource limitations. Governance-Technology Integration (GTI) and citizen engagement emerge as significant predictors of successful smart city implementation. The study contributes theoretically by validating the negotiation framework for urban governance and technology in the Indian context, and practically by offering actionable insights for policymakers and urban planners to enhance capacity, participation, and context-specific technological deployment. Limitations and future research directions highlight the need for longitudinal, regionally diverse, and mixed-method investigations to further understand the evolving dynamics of smart city governance in India.