Publications

This article seeks to conceptualize the interrelated movement of data on the one hand, and matter and energy on the other hand—and therefore contributes to a theorization of data as simultaneously constitutive of, and constituted by, contemporary urbanism. To pursue this objective, we argue for close dialogue between urban political ecology (UPE) on the one hand, and science and technology studies (STS) and critical data studies (CDS) on the other hand. More specifically, we call for a closer examination of how data move, accumulate and agglomerate, and we propose that a conceptual distinction between “flows” and “circulations” can help operationalize this research agenda. We contend that this dialogue opens exciting research perspectives for both fields. From a UPE perspective, paying closer attention to data circulations is a way to advance poststructuralist approaches because it allows for fine-grained analysis of how resources (data, matter, and energy) are circulated, transformed, and accumulated to produce new urban natures. From an STS and CDS perspective, adopting a metabolic perspective on data circulations helps to reconceptualize the urban and analyze cities as sites of data agglomeration, accumulation, and contestation.

Mouton, M. et Burns, R. (2025). All That Is Urban Melts into Data: Circulations of Matter, Energy, and Data in the Digital City. Journal of Urban Technology, 32(4), 93–107.