I’m passionate about the urban and the human, and interested in the technology that is being interwoven with our lives. My work at a leading Flemish research hub revolves around innovative ways to include all stakeholders in the making urban space ‘smart’, and the central role of data (from open to personal to big). For my PhD, I research the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation in smart cities, fostering knowledge and supporting data protection impact assessments through inclusive and participatory methods. Inspired by Lefebvre’s ‘Right to the City’, I am investigating how data protection rights can play a role in making urban space not only technologically enhanced but especially citizen-centric.