Sustainable cities and digital participation. Analysing and modelling digital social innovation processes in the governance of urban sustainability in Turin and Brussels

The paper describes the preliminary results of first steps of a research project conducted at the University of Turin – ESOMAS Department. The project aims to explore how the recently emerged and diversified domain of Digital Social Innovation (DSI) is equipped for tackling urban sustainability challenges and fueling democratic participation processes. By adopting the analytic perspective of digital geography and critical urban studies, the project explores the operative routines of digital social innovators communities in Turin and Bruxelles, and the multiple “spatialities” generated by the agency of socio-technological actors and supporting DSI initiatives in the city.