Together with the Municipality of Amsterdam the Urban Citizen Fellowship is set up to stimulate the use of advanced research in political deliberation and 
public policy making for the city of Amsterdam. Since 2022, the program focusses on the topic of digital urban citizenship. This unique fellowship offers researchers the opportunity to carry out research projects on issues with regards to living in a city and feeling like a citizen. It combines the benefits of working in the interdisciplinary environment of an Institute for Advanced Study with the advantages of doing a project with high societal impact and concrete results.
During the fellowship, Letizia will be working to develop productive interactions between UT and NIAS and synergies between the teaching and projects at CSTM (i.e DISCO, BuurtBatterij).
- Period: September 2024-August 2025
- Discipline: Urban Studies/Sociology
- Year group: 2024/25
Project title
Urban Citizenship, Rituals and Digital Literacy. A Psycho-Digital-Geography Book.
Research question
Starting with an interdisciplinary theoretical background between urban sociology and digital geography: To what extent is digital literacy preventing an exacerbation of existing spatial inequalities?
Project description
Digital technologies interfere with urban citizenship, affecting the relationship of trust between governments and dwellers. Being a dweller in a city has to do with agencies, literacies and socio-spatial rituals. Considering algorithmic accountability, inclusion and transparency, this project explores digital tactics, rituals, and the degree of literacy around crucial issues such as sustainability and spatial unevenness. The digital literacy of citizens can be a crucial factor in preventing exclusion and exacerbating urban inequalities. By working closely with the Municipality of Amsterdam, the aim is to generate knowledge and productive interactions between local authorities and citizens. The contribution is to observe the political implications of these practices and respond to the critical question: How can municipalities implement digital tools that are accountable and inclusive? The societal relevance of the research project lies in the collaboration with the local political ecosystem and different urban communities in the Dutch context.
