Google, a major stakeholder in local governance?

Abstract

Despite its pervasive presence in urban life, Google has received comparatively little scholarly attention within urban studies, especially relative to other platform companies. This special issue addresses that gap by examining Google’s evolving role in local governance. We argue that Google should be understood as an urban firm —an actor whose influence emerges not from a unified strategy but from a patchwork of experiments, negotiations, and contingent engagements across diverse territories. Three core assumptions guide our inquiry: Google is not a monolith but a constellation of actors; its operations are shaped by local socio-political contexts; and its strategy is better described as experimental and adaptative rather than a fixed or unified global plan. Conceptually, we distinguish Google from other tech companies by highlighting its dual role as both platform and infrastructure, enabled by its unique capacity to collect, organize, and monetize data. Grounded in diverse empirical cases, this issue foregrounds the fragmented, negotiated, and sometimes resisted forms of Google’s urban presence—challenging the notion of a uniform digital capitalism and emphasizing the uneven, situated nature of tech power in cities.