Summary of High-level Insights and Observations After reviewing the history and scholarship, examining policy texts, and gathering additional context via conversations with practitioners and review of other relevant primary government sources, I’ve come to the following conclusions about the state of platform data sharing mandates in a local government context. Each of the below “high-level findings” contains a summary of thinking as well as some additional key takeaways and further questions. 1. Local government platform data sharing policy mandates build on existing trends in B2G data sharing but signaling an important shift toward city power. 2. Despite legitimate concerns about abuse of power, local government data sharing policies and programs offer a valuable tool to advance the public interests and should be continued, responsibly. 3. Data and data sharing mandates depend on the technical capacity and political leverage of cities and local governments. 4. Data—and data sharing mandates—is just one part of a broader set of negations and governance needs concerning platforms and digital sovereignty in the emergent smart city.
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Towards Urban Data Commons? On the Origins and Significance of Platform Data Sharing Mandates
