SmartBremen Project - Unveiling Bremen’s Unseen Layers

Unveiling Bremen’s Unseen Layers. Exploring the Informal City for Enhanced Integration into Smart City in Bremen. Cities are intricate ecosystems composed of interconnected elements such as population dynamics, infrastructure, governance, economic activity, and cultural vibrancy. At the heart of urban life lies a duality of processes—formal and informal —both of which shape the city’s identity and rhythm. However, current Smart City initiatives primarily integrate formal processes, creating a significant digital divide and neglecting the vital role informality plays in urban dynamics. The Smart Bremen Project challenges this gap by advocating for the integration of informality into Smart City strategies. Traditionally seen as an urban deficiency, informality is, in reality, a resilient and adaptive response to rigid urban structures. Rather than dismissing it, this study recognizes informality as a key driver of citizen agency, participation, and spatial justice. Using the Urban Living Lab framework, this project explores how digital technologies can bridge the digital divide, promote human-centered urbanism, and prevent Smart City interventions from becoming tools of corporate-led governance and privatization. By prioritizing citizen needs, democratic participation, and urban inclusivity, the project repositions Smart Cities as spaces of negotiation rather than top-down technocratic projects—ensuring that digital advancements serve urban inhabitants rather than control them. A core aspect of this initiative is the integration of informality through a platform of networked narratives, highlighting the untold stories of microbusinesses and artists.