Utopian urbanism and representational city-ness

This commentary responds to Ayona Datta’s critique of India’s smart city agenda by emphasizing the representational work that urban futures require. In the context of Dholera smart city, I draw attention to the discursive terrains – around city-ness and utopianism in particular – mobilized by the state in order to normalize the inevitability of exclusionary urban planning and imaginations. I suggest these representational fields are key battlegrounds for critical urban geography.