A Smart City for the Blind: Marburg as a Case Study (book chapter) (original) (raw)
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A Vision of a Smart City Addressing the Needs of Disabled Citizens
There were 42 million disabled people aged 15– 64 in the EU-27 in 2012. The urban population is increasing, and has according to United Nations Population Fund already exceeded 50% of the global population. Cities are becoming more and more complex. City governments face challenges in designing fully inclusive city services, spaces and information. These still tend to be designed in a way to fit the needs of an active, fully abled person, thus excluding a great number of citizens with impairments. With this article we contribute to the issues raised; first, by proposing a four-dimensional model towards addressing the complexity of the societal challenges; second, by elaborating a holistic Vision of a Smart and Inclusive City, and finally as a part of this vision, by proposing a concept of a holistic modular digital tool, namely Social Cooperative Monitoring Tool to support the inclusiveness of the city.
Smart cities the digital divide and people with disabilities Cities
Cities, 2022
Urban development that is both smart and sustainable is intrinsically linked to digital innovation in city management, as well as to the transition toward digital urban governance and the practice of digital citizenship. Cities on a global scale continuously launch new digital services and smart solutions in order to become places that are more resilient, efficient, and attractive. While digitally-driven urban development has become a new paradigm for cities, the digital divide is emerging as a serious concern when it comes to the goal of making cities accessible and inclusive for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Issues such as digital inclusion and access to key urban services, information, and experiences by people with disabilities (PwD) are critical areas in which cities face important challenges related to ethical and responsible governance. The aim of this paper is to provide conceptual and empirical insights into the culture of digital accessibility of PwD on an urban scale. It argues that leadership in digital accessibility can inspire transformative change, allowing cities to be envisioned from the standpoint of digital inclusion and equity, thereby fostering a barrier-free, digital urban logic.
Smart Cities for All: Usability and Disability Bias
European Review of Digital Administration and Law, 2021
Smart city projects must consider the needs of vulnerable groups of people. This article advocates the full deployment of the principle of usability regarding smart city services and the participation of people with disabilities and their representatives in the design and development of the new city model. * Article submitted to double-blind peer review. 1 This article has been developed within the Spanish R&D project with Ref. n. PID2019-108274GB-100, entitled Inteligencia Artificial Administrativa para un Estado Social y Democrático de Derecho (2020-2023).
Sensors
The multilayer technology integration of hardware and software will reduce the social inclusion gap and increase the support in case of an emergency for people with special needs at hearing and visual levels. This research shows a development based on Internet of Things to support people with visual disabilities (PwVD) for indoor and outdoor activities. The decision-making process is made at the operational, tactical, and strategic level, providing a safe place so people with visual and hearing special needs can make decisions, their families can make decisions, and the government authorities can make decisions in case of an emergency or even on a day-by-day basis. In the case of the authorities, the smart visualization of the data according to the information provided facilitates Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (CDRM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The main findings are based on the need to develop mobile applications, dashboard and web applications that are responsive t...
An Accessible City is a Healthy and People-Centred Smart City
IGI Global eBooks, 2022
Accessibilityforallisaninspiringissueforfutureurbanagendas.InEuropeancities,theageingof urbanpopulationandthegrowthofsocialandeconomicdisparitiescallforinterdisciplinaryreflection andpracticeontherelationsbetweenwell-beingandinclusionandtheorganizationandupgrading ofpublicfacilities.Thechallengeistoensuretheusabilityofurbanspacestothelargestextentof persons, according to their different capabilities. Based on research developed at the University ofTrieste(Italy),andtakingtheregionFriuliVeneziaGiuliaasitsmainstudycontext,thearticle questionsavarietyofrecenturbantoolsandpoliciesinordertoshowtheirlevelofinnovationand theobstaclesthatstillopposetheirmoreeffectiveintegration.Theaimistohighlightpossiblefields forpublicactionandtheneedtorethinkplanninginstrumentsandtechnicalskillsintheframeofa userexperienceandsmartdesignapproach.
Disability Rights UK Intelligent & Smart Cities
This short paper examines the literature on smart and/or intelligent cities for the extent to which the needs of disabled people have been discussed and what solutions have been advocated in their interests and consider the spatial needs of resilient communities. It aims to establish the spatial synergy of disabled people in the reports of advisors or scrutineers of Government policy in the four key policy areas of Government covering access namely housing, built environment, transport and digital infrastructure. There is a discussion of the needs of disabled people within the debate on the future of our cities and know the arguments and processes that could catapult disabled people into a leadership role in that debate
Bagh-e Nazar, 2022
Problem statement: The importance of inclusive access to urban spaces has become important due to the rapid growth of urbanization in recent years. Inclusive design and planning create equal opportunities for all groups of citizens, regardless of their personal limitations and abilities. According to the principles of inclusive cities, all groups of citizens, including people with disabilities (PWDs), should have equal rights to access urban spaces. According to the rules of inclusive cities, all groups of citizens, including PWDs, should have the right to access and be present in urban spaces; but this is not the case in cities of our country, including Tehran. Research objective: This research aims to investigate the role of technology in urban inclusiveness, with an emphasis on the presence of PWDs in urban spaces. Research method: The research goal is met by using a descriptive-survey research method following two main consecutive steps: meta-analysis and review of the international library documents related to the research subject and then analysis of the findings of a questionnaire with 80 participants with disabilities in Tehran city. Conclusion: The research findings confirm that all participants in the study face many challenges in participating in urban spaces. The results of the questionnaire show that 82% of the participants use smart electronic devices more than five times a day, and the examples of using assistive technology are attractive to over 90%. Finally, it is anticipated that the use of such technologies will facilitate accessibility and increase the presence of PWDs in the city. This article introduces three new approaches: inclusive smart city (ISC), application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and E-inclusion.
When Design Fiction Meets Geospatial Sciences to Create a More Inclusive Smart City
Smart Cities
Smart cities are especially suited for improving urban inclusion by combining digital transition and social innovation. To be smart, a city has to provide every citizen with urban spaces, public services, and common goods that are effectively affordable, whatever the citizen’s gender, culture, origin, race, or impairment. Based on two design workshops, the “Vibropod” and the “Pointe-aux-Lièvres”, this paper aims at highlighting the contributions of design fiction to the improvement of the spatial capability of hearing impaired people. This research draws its originality from both its conceptual framework, built on an interdisciplinary and intersectoral composition of arts and sciences, and its operational approach, based on the use of the DeafSpace markers and the TRIZ theory (Russian acronym for Inventive Problem Solving Theory) principles. The two design fiction workshops demonstrate that considering the singularity of the human being as an actual acoustic material constitutes an ...
Cities Really Smart and Inclusive
E-Planning and Collaboration, 2018
This chapter discusses the idea that a really smart city needs not only to innovate in technologies, but also to assure that these innovations will increase social capital and participation possibilities to all citizens. In this domain ICT's to promote new forms of democratic engagement, collective collaboration or creativity stimulation are very important components of a really smart city, more human and social-valued. The focus of the discussion is thus the potential of Smart Cities to develop new possibilities to reduce social isolation and to increase new forms of autonomy, and the factors to have in consideration to avoid digital-divide. The chapter debates also questions associated with the use of surveillance and registration processes and the connected issues of liberty and privacy versus security.
Visual Aid Systems from Smart City to Improve the Life of People with Low Vision
Sustainability
In the current time, the development of urban centers is a very complex process in terms of new residential or administrative building locations expansion, but also in terms of design and/or the combination of the constructions with the environment. In the same context, the various transport development, communication or social activities facilities require an important database and an infrastructure to ensure and satisfy the population needs at the highest level. Accordingly, interest has developed in the smart cities (SC) concept creation with connection possibilities over extended geographical areas. This paper addresses a problem related to the preparation and ensuring the development of Brasov city as a smart city, with the possibility of finding solutions for low-vision people’s mobility and opening even more access to the city’s infrastructure. The paper’s main objectives and contributions are represented by the current considerations provision for ensuring functionality as a...