Digital and spatial knowledge management in urban governance: Emerging issues in India, Brazil, South Africa, and Peru Isa Baud a, * , Dianne Scott b , Karin Pfeffer a, 1 , John Sydenstricker-Neto c, 2 , Eric Denis d a Dept. of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166,1018 WV, Amsterdam, Netherlands b University of Kwazulu Natal, School of Built Environment and Development Studies, Durban, South Africa c CEBRAP, R. Morgado de Mateus, 615, S~ ao Paulo, SP 04015-051, Brazil d G eographie-cit es, 13 rue du Four, 75006 Paris, France article info Article history: Available online 23 October 2014 Keywords: Knowledge management Urban governance Spatial information Mapping GIS Digitization abstract The main question concerns the ways in which knowledge management conﬁgurations (KM) within urban governance are being transformed through digitization and spatializing information (GIS). This question ﬁts into broader discussions on how knowledge construction, circulation and utilization can improve com- petences in local government (efﬁciency and effectiveness), make urban planning more knowledge-based, and provide greater recognition of citizens' knowledge (accountability). Local governments need such in- struments in dealing with increasing complexity and uncertainty in urban development. We examine how uneven patterns of technological change in using ICT and GIS are transforming current local government work processes in terms of efﬁciency and effectiveness in their outcomes, utilizing empirical data from extended case studies in six medium-sized cities in India, South Africa, Brazil, and Peru, participating in the Chance2Sustain research network. Knowledge management in cities is conﬁgured through several dimensions: 1) discourses for digitizing KM in local urban development; 2) actor networks producing socio-spatial knowledge; 3) embedding KM in decision-making processes (power struggles, exclusion); and 4) inﬂuences of KM on work practices and interfaces with citizens. The case study results show that 1) KM discourses concerned four issues: strategic urban planning and integrated land use planning; determining geographic boundaries in urban development discourses; streamlining work processes of local governments, and mapping poverty and needs assessments; 2) initiatives mainly link government with the private sector at various scale levels; 3) codiﬁed and tech- nical knowledge remains dominant in discussions on urban development; and 4) effects of KM are uneven, but improve work process efﬁciency, although the interface with citizens remains limited, focusing on middle-class relations to the exclusion of the poor. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction In recent discussions on urban development, the role of knowl- edge construction, circulation and utilization are given increasing importance (e.g. McFarlane, 2011; McCann & Ward, 2011; Campbell, 2012). Several debates deal with this issue, in a fragmented manner and with varying emphases. Theoretical debates are dominated by discussions in the global North, which leaves wide gaps for under- standing how cities in emerging economies deal with knowledge management. As future urbanization is going to be concentrated in the global South, it is essential to shift attention to changing knowledge management in cities there (Robinson, 2006). Two pro- cesses are transforming knowledge management currently: expan- sion of digitization and communication technology (ICT) and the spatialization of information worldwide in technical GIS systems (administrative databases, real-time monitoring with GPS) and in- terfaces with citizens through open-access platforms (e.g. Google Earth). (Georgiadou & Stoter, 2010). In this article we raise the question of how digitization and spa- tialization of knowledge management (KM) is transforming urban governance in six medium-size cities in India, Brazil, South Africa and Peru. This question ﬁts into broader discussions on how knowledge construction, circulation and utilization can improve competences in local government (efﬁciency and effective government processes), * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ31 205254063. E-mail addresses: i.s.a.baud@uva.nl (I. Baud), SCOTTD@ukzn.ac.za (D. Scott), K.pfeffer@uva.nl (K. Pfeffer), jmsyden@cebrap.org.br (J. Sydenstricker-Neto), eric.denis@parisgeo.cnrs.fr (E. Denis). 1 Tel.: þ31 205254063. 2 Tel.: þ55 11 5574 0399. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Habitat International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/habitatint http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2014.09.009 0197-3975/© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Habitat International 44 (2014) 501e509