Blockchain, A tool for metropolitan governance? Issue paper #5 - Metropolis Observatory
Date of publication
Topic
Metropolitan Governance
Economic development
Urban development & Infrastructures
Land use, -planning and -management
Smart city and technology
Type of resources
Issue Papers
Blockchain appeared in the public domain recently, motivating a change in a wide variety of areas such as cryptography, finance or communications. But this technology can even have an impact in metropolitan spaces, where the use of it could improve the governance of cities or help with transparency problems within public organisations.
Citizens can take advantage of blockchain while protecting their rights of privacy and identity. For example, improving the efficiency of electoral systems, in which anonymity and immutability of the votes are really important. Governments also benefit from it, with transparent accountability of the votation, where plan elections, register and verification of voters is easily done.
Between Metropolis members, the use of blockchain technology is at an early stage, but developing and spreading rapidly. 69 city members are working in 254 blockchain initiatives, almost half of them being developed in Asia. And the majority of them are related to the business and financial sectors, allowing space for governance and civil society projects to spring up.
Alfonso Govela, in number 5 of the Issue Papers series, takes his time to explain the essentials of what is blockchain technology, how governments and citizens could profit from it and the benefits that a metropolis could make from implementing it in their daily affairs.
Citizens can take advantage of blockchain while protecting their rights of privacy and identity. For example, improving the efficiency of electoral systems, in which anonymity and immutability of the votes are really important. Governments also benefit from it, with transparent accountability of the votation, where plan elections, register and verification of voters is easily done.
Between Metropolis members, the use of blockchain technology is at an early stage, but developing and spreading rapidly. 69 city members are working in 254 blockchain initiatives, almost half of them being developed in Asia. And the majority of them are related to the business and financial sectors, allowing space for governance and civil society projects to spring up.
Alfonso Govela, in number 5 of the Issue Papers series, takes his time to explain the essentials of what is blockchain technology, how governments and citizens could profit from it and the benefits that a metropolis could make from implementing it in their daily affairs.
