Abstract

Smart Urbanism (SU) has emerged as a proposed solution to a broad range of ecological and social problems for twenty-first century city life. Turning to the specific smart city venture of Sidewalk Labs’ Quayside project in Toronto, Canada, this article identifies particular apprehensions and questions that arise within public–private partnerships (P3s) for smart city innovations. Drawing on priorities, methods, norms, and anthropologies from feminist Christian theological ethics, it argues against the commodification of city space and urban life which were central to Sidewalk’s proposal. And, in response to the tangle of problems which emerge from this instance of SU, it proposes a moral-spiritual vision towards a justice-loving urban future.