McLuhan's urbanism: Engaged citizens in open cities.

The article focuses on Marshall McLuhan's urbanism, emphasizing the importance of citizen engagement in shaping media, technology, and urban environments to foster open, multi-sensory, and community-oriented cities. McLuhan warned against passive dependence on media and smart city technologies that impose rigid, top-down control, advocating instead for active citizen participation to adapt technologies to local needs and promote relational, non-linear urban designs. The article contrasts McLuhan's vision with contemporary smart city projects like Saudi Arabia's Neom, critiqued for their closed, linear, and corporate-driven models, and highlights calls from urban theorists for ethical, human-centered smart urbanism that balances technological innovation with social and environmental well-being. Overall, it underscores the ongoing relevance of McLuhan's ideas in encouraging cities as co-produced, open spaces where technology serves rather than governs human life.