Abstract
The proliferation of algorithmic decision-making systems in urban governance raises concerns about legitimacy, transparency, and public trust. This study investigates how citizen engagement mechanisms can shape perceptions of algorithmic decisions in cities. We conducted an online experiment (N=1,200) with a representative sample of urban residents, manipulating transparency (low vs. high explanation) and participation type (no participation, consultative, co-productive). Results show that both high transparency and participation significantly increase perceived legitimacy and trust in algorithmic decisions, with co-productive engagement yielding the strongest effects. Importantly, mediation analyses reveal that perceived procedural justice fully mediates the effect of participation on legitimacy. Demographic factors such as age and education moderate the effects, with younger and more educated citizens exhibiting stronger positive responses. Our findings underscore the importance of embedding participatory mechanisms in algorithmic urban systems to foster inclusive and trustworthy smart cities.
Keywords
Participatory AI, citizen engagement, algorithmic decision-making, urban governance, transparency, trust, co-production, smart cities