Smart Cities, Smart Rights? Some Reflections on Religious Pluralism, Urban Technologies and New Frontiers of Legal Protection in Europe

This paper examines the relationship between smart city governance and the protection of fundamental rights, focusing on freedom of religion in the European context. Starting from the question “Smart cities, smart rights?”, it analyses how digital infrastructures, algorithmic decision-making, data-driven urban planning and surveillance technologies affect the public space in which religious pluralism is expressed and regulated. The study considers national legal systems, EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights, with particular attention to data protection, non-discrimination and constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. It argues that smart cities require a rights-based design capable of integrating religious freedom into digital urban governance, consistently with constitutional pluralism and human dignity.