Beyond the pursuit towards smartness: Surveillance and security discourses on smart video surveillance in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.

Description

The concluding seminar/workshop of our FWO research project, “Beyond the pursuit towards smartness: Surveillance and security discourses on smart video surveillance in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.” Throughout the project, we have engaged in dialogue with many actors, which has yielded highly valuable insights. These conversations were essential for understanding how smart surveillance is implemented, as well as how it is discussed and experienced within different institutional and urban contexts. Our research focused on the socio-historical dynamics of the three cities, the roles and perspectives of key stakeholders (police, government, and the technology sector), and the evolving position of smart (camera) technologies within urban governance.

This event had two main objectives:
1) To share our findings and receive feedback.
2) To bring actors back into dialogue with one another, thereby fostering exchange about lessons learned, best practices, and possible directions for improved policy.

These objectives were reached through a research presentation, a rotation of roundtable discussions spanning three themes, a policy feedback/exchange session, and a plenary session.

Period	6 Mar 2026
Event type	Seminar
Location	Brussels, BelgiumShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International