Learning and unlearning in Smart Cities: the impact and challenges of new digital technologies in adult learning processes

Abstract

The application of new digital services into everyday life requires profound changes in learning for societies and professionals. The importance of LLL in a digitalised world is growing but there is a lack of research into how learning impacts on the ‘smartness’ of cities, how the digital divide can be bridged and how communities are prepared for it. Pedagogically this calls for a new understanding of how adults face new learning challenges. The process of acquiring new skills and knowledge is of fundamental importance in defining whether adults become active participants or passive observers in the digitalisation process. It is not just about learning new skills but about unlearning old ones. The challenge for adults is to develop new adaptive learning strategies and working methods and to ensure that they embrace change while maintaining and gradually transitioning away from old practices.