Abstract:

The main objectives of this paper are to introduce the concept of ambient culture in the context of 21st century urban educational spaces in further developing the learning dimension of smart cities; describe proposed research for exploration of the nature and potential of ambient culture; and propose awareness, learning, openness to experience, and civic engagement as key constructs for the study. The methodology for this proposed study incorporates a case study approach and multiple methods of data collection such as interview, focus group, and survey. Content analysis is proposed for use with qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. This paper complements and extends current understandings of culture to include emerging possibilities for ambient culture. Combining social media with mobile content generation in urban environments, this paper offers the potential to open new discourse spaces for education in relation to the learning dimension of smart cities, making a contribution to the literature across multiple domains.

Keywords:

ambient culture, awareness, civic engagement, engagement, learning cities, openness to experience, openness, social media