Global Resources and Promising Practices for Building and Refining Accessible and Inclusive Smart Cities from Darren Bates LLC.
Inclusion: Acknowledging and valuing people’s differences to enrich social planning, decision-making, and quality of life for everyone.
In an inclusive Smart City all residents have a sense of belonging, acceptance, and are recognized as valued and contributing members of society with a representative voice in governance.
An inclusive Smart City values all people and equitably meets the needs of all residents—including historically underserved and marginalized populations, e.g., people with disabilities, people who are aging. Real inclusion takes place when those already included in the “mainstream” learn from those who are excluded and initiate change.
One of the most important aspects that influence the
livability of cities is the capacity to be an inclusive city
that people can and want to call “Home.
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Inclusive Public Procurement Policies Will Help Create More #Accessible #ICT —and More Accessible ICT Will Help Create More #Inclusive #SmartCities — Smart Cities Library™ (@SmartCitiesL) August 21, 2018
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Erich Manser has run 18 marathons and set an Ironman world record for a physically-challenged athlete. He’s also legally blind. For him—and all athletes who are blind—carefully navigating the swirling stampede of runners, the chaotic cowbell-banging crowds, and the crush at water stations can be exceptionally tricky, even with the help of a guide. So when Manser ran the Boston…
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Ministerial foreword A society that works for all Transport is at the heart of how we live our lives. It helps us get to work, stay in touch with friends and family, contribute to society and access vital services like healthcare and education. Easy access to transport is central to building a stronger, fairer economy. While many take for granted…
Read More![Screenshot_2018-07-17 New policy brief “Towards inclusive cities Making UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 a reality in Eur[…]](https://i0.wp.com/www.smartcitieslibrary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screenshot_2018-07-17-New-policy-brief-%E2%80%9CTowards-inclusive-cities-Making-UN-Sustainable-Development-Goal-11-a-reality-in-Eur....png?fit=338%2C374&ssl=1)
EDF just launched its new policy brief titled “Towards inclusive cities: Making UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 a reality in Europe”. The presentation of this paper took during a side event to the High Level Political Forum 2018 on Sustainable Development. The side event ““Goal 11: inclusion of persons with disabilities in societies” was organised by EDF, in partnership with…
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We invited people from all walks of life to have a frank and honest conversation about inclusion. In order to #SpeakUpforInclusion, we need to speak about inclusion: Courtesy of Royal Bank of Canada
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Around the world, governments are making cities “smarter” by using data and digital technology to build more efficient and livable urban environments. This makes sense: With urban populations growing and infrastructure under strain, smart cities will be better positioned to manage rapid change. But as digital systems become more pervasive, there is a danger that inequality will deepen unless local…
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For urban planners, data and technology are valuable tools in the drive to improve administration and services. But while these innovations are making urban environments more livable, they come with a hidden cost: the potential to deepen inequality among digitally marginalized groups. Around the world, governments are making cities “smarter” by using data and digital technology to build more efficient…
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I recently had the pleasure of accompanying the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) on its annual LINK trip in my capacity as the ARC’s citizen board member for the City of Atlanta. The purpose of the trip is for more than 100 government, business and non-profit sector leaders to visit other cities to learn from their successes and failures in addressing…
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Cities around the world are looking for smart solutions to urban problems and are embracing technology to help them do so. At the same time, the gap between rich and poor in urban centres is growing – driving low income residents farther away from city centres. An upcoming conference held at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus is exploring how…
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Building Age-Friendly Smart City Communities Hear what members of our community want in an age-friendly community. Affordable housing and transportation, access to health care and social activities, respect and much more. Thank you to Tufts Health Plan Foundation Boston Neighborhood Network, Ethos and Massachusetts Senior Action Council for their help in producing this video.
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Age-friendly cities help seniors shine through their golden years Cities are great places for young people, but they’re also wonderful places to spend your entire life. In fact, more and more people are staying in cities for good, and enjoying their retirement in a vibrant atmosphere. As a result, cities are taking senior-friendliness seriously. They need to provide residents with…
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Most of us think of ourselves as normal because we are part of the norm. Nicely installed in the majority, we often don’t realize that cities must be designed for all, and not only for the majority of “normal” citizens. For the small percentage of people who are born deaf, who cannot move about on their own, or who need…
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Every day the population of the United States, including Texas, is getting older. This poses important challenges to Social Security, Medicare and a host of state and local programs. In fact, the Census Bureau recently announced that it projects there will be more older people than children in the United States by 2035. We can’t afford to wait 17 years…
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The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, and Forbes recognized her in Forbes 30 Under 30. Haben travels the world consulting and public speaking, teaching clients the benefits of fully accessible products and services. Haben is…
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Even just walking on Via del Corso in Rome or on Esplanadi in Helsinki it is possible to notice how much people live their city through the smartphones, but we rarely focus on how the use of the new technologies is contributing to promote inclusion and participation to the life of the urban contexts. The metropolitan areas of Helsinki and…
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Are smart cities another fad that benefits only big tech companies, or can the power of citizen sensing help make life better for all who call the city home? Who would have thought frogs could be enlisted in the fight against household mould? It happened in Bristol in the United Kingdom when a digital ‘damp’ sensor in the form of…
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Accessibility can be seen in two ways. A set of rules and guidelines which say ‘Thou shall do x and thou shan’t do y’ or a way where we consider the needs and situations of the people who will be using our products and develop our products to ensure that we don’t disable them. By focusing on guidelines, standards and…
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Accessible mobility—public transportation that can be used by anyone—is a critical component of future urban development. The New Urban Agenda calls for a significant increase in accessible public transportation, and accessible mobility is part of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Worldwide, more than one billion people live with a disability, 80 per cent of whom…
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The goal of Smart Cities should be no less than the full inclusion of ALL citizens, including aging and disabled residents. Conceding to 95% or any target less that 100% inclusion, would be like building 1,000 kilometers of completed superhighway that abruptly terminates in 5 kilometers of dirt roads and ditches. Darren Bates Just a morning thought. Darren Bates…
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As cities work to add technologies to improve residents’ lives and mobility, many are putting a renewed focus on inclusivity and equitable innovation distribution. Yet despite this inclusivity push, experts say people with disabilities remain an overlooked group, especially during city planning processes. “Very few [cities] are thinking about all of their citizens, including specifically, citizens with disabilities,” said…
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