Unpacking the smart city through the lens of the right to the city: A taxonomy as a way forward in participatory city-making

Henri Lefebvre’ s urgent utopia of right to the city to achieve a new form of urban governance that moves beyond both capitalism and state bureaucracy seems timely with the increasing critiques of how techno-centric, top-down and corporate-driven smart cities are ill- equipped to deliver their promised civic, economic and political benefits. The exploration of the smart city through Lefebvre’s lens enables the reconceptualisation of the emerging notion of participatory citymaking as a translation of the right to the city into practice. This chapter seeks thus to further unpack the concept of participatory citymaking and, by linking it to operational concepts and proposing a taxonomy for the classification of initiatives that shape the city, clear a path forward towards systemic change.