Author ORCID Identifier
Mihoko Sakurai: 0000-0002-2019-5680
Richard T. Watson: 0000-0003-0664-8337
Abstract
This teaching case examines how the City of Melbourne navigates the challenges of governing urban data in a fragmented multi-level governance system. Widely recognized as one of the world’s most livable cities, Melbourne has developed smart city capabilities, including sensor networks, open data platforms, and sustainable mobility initiatives. These digital capabilities support the city’s Green Transformation (GX) ambitions and aim to enhance transparency and citizen engagement. However, authority over transport systems, data infrastructures, and funding is distributed across federal, state, local, and private actors. This fragmentation complicates data integration, decision rights, and accountability. While the City promotes openness and participatory data practices to strengthen public trust, it does not fully control key mobility datasets or operational platforms. The case invites students to analyze the tension between transparency and structural fragmentation. Can open data and incremental trust-building compensate for distributed governance? Should the City pursue deeper data integration despite limited formal authority? Using frameworks such as digital infrastructure governance and capital creation, students examine how technological capability and governance authority interact in maintaining a smart city’s livability and long-term public value.
Recommended Citation
Sakurai, M., & Watson, R. T. (In press). Melbourne: Managing Fragmentation to Create a Livable Smart City. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 59, pp-pp. Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol59/iss1/49
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