Paola Piras – Materiality and governance of the ultra-high-speed socio-technical system in Dakar (Senegal): a strategic vision of digital infrastructure, urban planning and construction projects

This thesis analyses the development of a high-speed socio-technical system (fibre-optic network and data centres) and the urban transformations of a West African metropolis, examining the conditions and mechanisms of ‘digital urbanism’ in Dakar (Senegal).

The aim is to understand how digital infrastructure and urban spaces shape one another, and to offer an interpretation based on materiality rather than viewing it as an inert physical substrate. Drawing on research from urban studies and social approaches to technology inspired by Science and Technology Studies (STS), the study examines the socio-political, socio-technical and territorial dimensions of the roll-out of ultra-high-speed broadband infrastructure, analysing it across three scales—corresponding to distinct spheres of action and temporalities—and within different types of intra-urban spaces. Using a qualitative methodology (interviews, participant observation, mapping), the thesis demonstrates the ambivalent relationship between the privatised development of the ultra-high-speed broadband socio-technical system and socio-spatial inequalities.

At national and metropolitan levels, she highlights the links between urban planning stakeholders and powerful international telecommunications operators, as well as their respective influence on metropolitan digital development within a context shaped by neoliberal policies. At street level, it analyses the role of network engineers and technicians, highlighting, through a study of construction sites and work ‘in situ’, the role of material contingencies, informality and socio-technical ‘tinkering’, but also that of ‘street-level’ technical expertise, which is essential to the physical development of ultra-high-speed broadband infrastructure. The analysis of the governance of the roll-out, coupled with that of urban materiality and metropolitan socio-spatial developments, has made it possible to define a digital urbanism that varies according to urban profiles.

However, whilst emphasising the decisive influence of telecommunications operators and the public authorities’ limited capacity for policy-making and regulation, the thesis identifies self-regulatory mechanisms that are sometimes beneficial to the public interest, as well as mechanisms for partial catch-up in certain less ‘attractive’ neighbourhoods. These findings lead to a more nuanced understanding of the effects of the ‘privatisation’ of digital development on urban fragmentation and suggest avenues for reflection regarding the public sector’s renewed commitment to the planning and implementation of urban digital development in Dakar.

Composition of the jury:

• Olivier Coutard, Research Director, CNRS, Chair of the jury
• Sylvy Jaglin, University Professor, Université Gustave Eiffel, PhD supervisor and examiner
• Fanny Lopez, University Lecturer, ENSA Paris-Malaquais, Examiner and Rapporteur
• Armelle Choplin, University Professor, University of Geneva, Examiner and Rapporteur
• Elisabeth Peyroux, Research Director, CNRS, Examiner
• Momar Diongue, Senior Lecturer, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Examiner