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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There’s no one way to build a smart city. Cities are different and the wants and needs of their citizens, while similar in many ways, are different in others. As many cities have found out, it’s not always easy to get citizens involved with planning and engaged in the process or who actually benefits (or does not benefit) from the…
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A diversity and inclusion magazine targeting and celebrating all individuals with all types of diverse abilities. Source: DIVERSEability | A Diversity & Inclusion Disability Magazine
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Citizens to be part of smart city projects Source: Citizens to be part of smart city projects | Pune News – Times of India
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Urban performance is no longer just dependant on a city’s hard infrastructure – its ‘physical capital’ – but increasingly on the availability and quality of communication and social resources. The concept of a ‘smart city’ is now being used to describe modern urban competitiveness and highlight the growing importance of social and environmental capital in profiling the attractiveness of a…
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Like many other fast-growing urban centers, my hometown of Austin, TX has reached a historic tipping point triggered by Austin’s rapid urbanization. Austin City Leadership recognizes it must engage in vastly new approaches to adjust and calibrate to social and economic challenges amplified by the lightning speed of technical and industrial advances. To address these challenges, Austin is taking a…
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In the good ol’ days of childhood, having fun didn’t require making plans, buying tickets, or splitting the check seven ways. All it took was a swing set and a sandbox. While kids these days are already light years ahead of that, what with their iPhones and Xboxes, cities are compensating by building some pretty awesome playgrounds. What used to…
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The SDG Media Zone aims to engage people all over the world in the important conversations happening during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York from 18-22 September. Bringing together well-known personalities and Member States as well as content creators, influencers and media partners, the SDG Media Zone will provide a dynamic space to strengthen the…
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy recently announced “Inclusion Drives Innovation” as the theme of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October 2017. According to U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta,“Americans of all abilities must have access to good, safe jobs. Smart employers know that including different perspectives in problem-solving situations leads to better solutions. Hiring…
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A lawyer has filed a $1 million suit against the city, claiming they’ve failed miserably in making a Brooklyn courthouse accessible to him and others with limited mobility.Personal Source: Wheelchair-bound lawyer sues NYC for $1M over accessibility | New York Post
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TEDx Innovations is a blog celebrating creativity and innovation in TEDx communities around the globe. From design to tech to social activities, the TEDx Innovations blog highlights the best of the best worldwide. Source: 7 talks highlight people with disabilities breaking down barriers | TEDx Innovations Blog
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Every design decision has the potential to include or exclude customers. Inclusive design emphasizes the contribution that understanding user diversity makes to informing these decisions, and thus to including as many people as possible. User diversity covers variation in capabilities, needs and aspirations. This site first presents an example set of ‘Product performance indicators’, i.e. things that should be considered…
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Disability rights groups are urging the Centre to build smart cities that abide by international planning norms and are completely barrier free. Source: New Building Code Could Help Make Smart Cities Disabled Friendly – The Wire
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Smart cities, so named because they boast technology and design that make them work better for their residents, are getting a lot of attention — and government funding — in the U.S. Some smart city elements are easily spotted: a bike-share network or crosswalk signals that count down the seconds before the light changes. Others are less obvious, but also help…
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October 13 is the International Day for Disaster Reduction.From East Asia, South Asia, and Africa to Latin America, disaster events such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes are on the rise, destroying homes and claiming lives. Climate change is making it worse. Extreme weather is hitting us harder and more frequently as the planet warms, causing greater losses. Let’s take a…
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When we say inclusive mobility, it sounds fairly straightforward: access to affordable transportation for everyone. Providing equitable mobility for everyone might not be easy, but it’s essential if we’re all to have the opportunities to improve our quality of life. Read our story from Smart Cities Week to learn more. Source: Smart Cities Council | Yes, we DO need to…
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Delegates Debate Eradication of Poverty, Development Issues in Afternoon Meeting New technology would be central to achieving development goals, with artificial intelligence (AI) leveraged to process data on health, commerce, communications and transportation, entrepreneur Stephen Ibaraki told a joint session of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and the Economic and Social Council today. In that regard, stakeholders needed to…
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When it comes to meeting citizens’ needs, things have never been harder for cities. But they’ve also never been easier to address with technology.The pressures are unprecedented. With mass urbanization, cities face an ever-increasing demand for services. And people not only want 24/7 access to convenient citizen services, they want to be part of the services that govern them—they expect…
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October 12, 2017 The National Science Foundation (NSF) has long been a leader in supporting fundamental research to equip U.S. cities and communities with more responsive and adaptive technologies and services. Today, NSF’s Smart & Connected Communities (S&CC) program announces its first round of awards totaling approximately $19.5 million. This funding will support 38 projects involving researchers at 34 institutions…
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Socialchallenges.eu is a platform aiming at creating a marketplace where actual social challenges can meet powerful and innovative solutions. A space where the work among different players make the European Social Ecosystem vibrant and collaborative. Where a challenge is transformed into a new business opportunity. The Platform supports committed Public Authorities, Private Companies, Third Sector Organisations in defining, prioritising social…
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Persons with disabilities have often been neglected and excluded from the various plans, schemes and campaigns of the Government. A case in point is the SMART Cities Mission that has hardly any mention of accessibility for persons with disabilities. More importantly, with technology being the cornerstone of the SMART Cities initiative, the already existing digital divide will only grow further…
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