How much City does the Smart City make?

Smart Cities in Europe are based on Open Innovation: a development model based on the collaboration of the public and private sector with citizen feedback, which seeks to create business opportunities in the provision of public services through short-termed focalized projects. This article inquires how open innovation has influenced established planning policies in the City of Helsinki by examining three levels of planning: the city’s strategy, its planning mechanisms and the pilot projects derived from Smart City initiatives. We find that the City is shifting towards quicker ‘agile’ responses in line with business solutions based on pragmatism and emergency. We further reflect on the implications of such a shift under the consideration of the city’s societal goals.