The Mexican town that refused to become a smart city.

Today the Guardian published an article about a small town in Mexico where the government, from the best of intentions, tried to impose changes that they thought would make the town efficient and 'construct spaces that benefit citizens through the implementation of technology ... safe crosswalks, free internet, video surveillance, seismic alarm, playground, trash cans, signage, ecological benches and payment modules.

Unfortunately the consultation process involved talking to 15 people and the ideas came from the bureaucrats and politicians and not the citizens. The bicycle lane was used once a fortnight! The citizens filed an injunction. This article provides a good example of the importance of not only designing solutions to real problems (and some of these solutions may wall have addressed real problems) but also of understanding the culture and priorities of the users and achieving buy-in.