University of Calgary

SSC Seminar Series: Debra Mackinnon (Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Calgary)

Mundane Surveillance: Tracking Mobile Applications and Urban Accounting in Canadian Business Improvement Areas

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

12:30 - 2:00pm

Mackintosh-Corry Hall D411

Abstract:

In response to splintering streetscapes and in order to remain relevant amidst “smart cities” and “urban big data”, Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) have moved away from clipboards and ledgers, to become early adopters of smarter urban technologies. Initially, BIAs began using social...

Debra Mackinnon

Debra Mackinnon
Debra Mackinnon

Department of Sociology, Queen's University, Canada (PhD completed 2019)

Post SSC- Debra Mackinnon is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Geography at the University of Calgary. She received her PhD in Sociology from Queen’s University in 2019. Her doctoral dissertation, “Mundane Surveillance: Tracking mobile applications and urban accounting in Canadian Business Improvement Areas” explored how technologies are used to police, account for, render, and manage urban space and populations. Broadly, her research interests include surveillance studies, urban studies, criminology, smart urban environments and IoT technologies, and qualitative methods. Her current work focuses on questions of digital (in)justice, inclusion and governance in smart city partnerships.