‘I don’t want to walk for free anymore’, says Eunyoung

The rise of mobility platforms contributes to encouraging and commodifying movements of citizens. In line with many smart city apps anticipate their users to be mobile bodies, viewing them normatively and financially valuable (Rose et al., 2020). A colleague of Minwoo who commuted by tube would take off a couple stops before where many pubs were located.……

A ceaselessly flowing city, tetheredly moving couriers: the case of Baemin delivery platform workers in Seoul

Re-posted from Backchannels, 4S blog: head here for the original post Digital platforms are increasingly taking over the operation of critical urban services (Barns 2019; Sadowski 2021). Notably, food delivery platforms, acclaimed as playing an infrastructural role during the COVID-19 pandemic by mediating delivery of food to immobilised populations, continue to proliferate in many cities across……

Introduction: The Smart City in Motion

The colossal buildings lining the boulevard in Hongdae light up the night sky with neon. But it’s not just the sky that shines. Every street, every alleyway, flashes and bounces with moving lights from all kinds of vehicles. Motorbikes, bicycles, small-wheeled electric bicycles, electric scooters, and electric unicycles bustle around. Each carries a delivery box……

Prelude: Perfectly coordinated

Urban landscape is ever-changing. Living in a city might mean encountering something new, or more specifically, moving with something new. Intersecting movements are what makes a city a living organism. Countless people and various forms of transport move in different directions at different paces. A few years ago, new things joined these urban movements – riders……