Characterising and reassessing people-centred data governance in cities

Status: Completed in 2025

Collaborators: Dr. Antonio Calleja-López, Dr. Darren Sharp, Dr. Misita Anwar, Prof. Lyn Bartram, Dr. Sarah Goodwin

The notion of people-centred data governance (PCDG) remains underdefined and unsettled in the literature. Broadly, a ‘people-centred’ system is one that integrates the needs and perspectives of people into its development. However, the materialisation of people-centredness at the level of DG models in cities remains unclear. This ambiguity results from (1) the absence of shared terminology and explicit definitions; (2) heterogeneous conceptualisations of people’s role in DG, coupled with a lack of comprehensive systematisation; and (3) disagreements over whether models presented as PCDG, implicitly or explicitly, incorporate people’s needs and perspectives in meaningful ways.

In response, this work aimed to further develop and characterise the concept of PCDG. It moves from an initial definition of PCDG to a nuanced characterisation, followed by a critical reassessment. This is done by conducting a systematic scoping review of the literature. Utilising twelve extraction categories framed by the conceptualisation of DG as a socio-technical system, this review synthesises identified themes and outlines six archetypes. PCDG is characterised by people-centred values; the inclusion of people as agents, beneficiaries, or enablers; the employment of mechanisms for engaging people; or the pursuit of people-centred goals. These coalesce into diverse PCDG archetypes, including compensation, rights-based, civic deliberation, civic representation, data donations, and community-driven models. A critical reassessment of what constitutes PCDG suggests a focus on (1) whether DG models include people in the emergent benefits of data or merely legitimise their exclusion; (2) the extent to which embedded power dynamics reflect people’s perspectives; (3) the extent to which participation influences decision-making; (4) and the model's capacity to balance power asymmetries underpinning the landscape in which it is situated.

This work was published in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities.