Global Resources and Promising Practices for Building and Refining Accessible and Inclusive Smart Cities from Darren Bates LLC.
When we talk about people-centric urban planning, we are referring to a process that puts people, or end-recipients, at the center of the process. People-centric urban planning develops prototypes and solutions by performing embedded qualitative and quantitative research on those same people and end-recipients.
When we adapt this model to Smart Cities, we are describing a process by which the broader community (including people with disabilities and other historically undeserved or marginalized communities) becomes the center of the Smart City transformation process. All of our planning tactics and smart city solutions are informed directly by the needs, desires, expectations, and habits of the community.
This process requires urban planners to be nimble and flexible enough to adapt and edit their solutions based on community feedback—integrating and engaging the community into every step of the process from pre-design research and dialogue, to getting feedback on design concepts and prototypes, to noticing how the community uses the final product and making changes accordingly. So how exactly can we begin to integrate this approach into our process? Read On…
People-centric urban planning is mandatory for successful Smart City transformation because residents understand the strengths and weaknesses of their community and city better than anyone else.
A City isn’t smart if it doesn’t support the needs of all citizens.
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Designers — real modern designers who conduct human-centric research to create products and pages that work for people rather than systems — have started to arrive in local government, bringing with them philosophies that are changing cultures. This culture change is one in which governments have begun to modify their services to better meet the needs of constituents, seeing themselves…
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Barcelona’s carritos call urban planners to take the streets and encourage a more inclusive form of urbanism. Photo by Raons Publiques Community participation has become a checklist item for any major urban development project. But what does community participation actually mean? What would it look like if we flipped the responsibility of engagement from citizens to designers? What if, instead…
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New mobility services have enormous potential to change the transportation landscape and increase access for all residents. But, only a few projects are actually focused on that. As new mobility models continue to have an impact on our transportation system and shift how our cities are designed and operate, cities and transit agencies are launching new pilot projects to test…
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The people in our cities have incredibly varied lifestyles. They vary in the hours they work, the transport they use and in their accessibility needs – so it is essential that their cities work for them. Helping people live better and less complicated lives is at the heart of engineering. The Institution of Civil Engineers, alongside the City Leadership Lab,…
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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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IND: create a column 8/12 columns the width the parent container AND APPLY CONTINIOUSLY responsive text class to anything inside this column Against a backdrop of revolution and protests on Barcelona’s streets over the last 18 months, Francesca Bria has been conducting her own battle to tear up the strategy of her predecessors and put citizens at the head of…
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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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Smart City: People-Centered Urban Planning Concept When we talk about people-centric urban planning, we are referring to a process that puts people, or end-recipients, at the center of the process. People-Centered urban planning develops prototypes and solutions by performing embedded qualitative and quantitative research on those same people and end-recipients. Smart City Practice When we adapt this model to Smart…
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In a time of urban transformation and digitalisation of smart cities, too little attention is sometime given to citizens. Citizen Focus Action Cluster strongly believes in citizens as fundamental actors for the regeneration and development of smart cities. Civic engagement, empowerment, participation and co-creation are at the basis of our advocacy approach since we acknowledge that citizen voice can be…
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Europe has a tradition of creating economies that are compatible with the society’s expectations. This tradition is embedded in our culture: people want to have government systems that empower them to become who they want to be. To address today’s challenges it would a good idea for governments to create a level playing field where people-centred technologies are developed, bring…
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The only way to make the neighborhood of the future a more sustainable, livable, and equitable place is by hearing from Torontonians of all backgrounds and perspectives. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited that more than 1,000 people have said they’ll attend the first Sidewalk Toronto public roundtable next Tuesday, March 20. To help us hear from everyone, we’ve…
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The winner of the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge will likely be the city that best aligns technology, efficiency, equity, and inclusion while not losing sight of residents. The long-awaited Canadian Smart Cities Challenge is in full swing. Infrastructure Canada has made millions of dollars available to cities that create the best pitch to improve the lives of their residents through…
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This publication is of critical importance as it contributes a clear overview of the main issues at stake. Namely, that governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector have a role to play in ensuring that accessibility is not an afterthought but a central component of their work. It also provides guidance on how to address the accessibility lack, in…
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Seniors, strollers, suitcases — it’s not just disabled people who use accessible infrastructure. Policy-makers need to reframe and broaden the conversation. It’s been a long time coming, but the federal government is expected to unveil national accessibility laws this spring. Similar legislation in other jurisdictions, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, was passed back in 1990. The most visible…
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“In the future, cities will evolve from being ‘smart’ to being ‘responsive’, meaning that the citizens will move from the centre of attention to the centre of the action.” – Anne Stenros, Helsinki City’s Chief Design Officer. Way back in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was starting the maiden tenure of his leadership, he had announced his government’s vision…
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Delegates at forum emphasize that advancing society through innovation must take priority Speakers at the IEEE 4th World Forum on Internet of Things emphasized that the technology is a means to improve and advance the lives of people and society. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY) It is about the people: This was the clear message from the IEEE…
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This story was originally published by Data-Smart City Solutions. Last week, the government of Hawaii accidentally sent a massive alert to citizens warning of an impending ballistic missile attack. The message ended with the ominous warning “this is not a drill,” only to alert Hawaiians some 40 minutes later that the original missive had been sent in error. Point being:…
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Begin: WordPress Article Content Technology has always been a critical force deeply intertwined with the evolution of cities. From the first human settlements millennia ago to the industrial revolution to today, technological breakthroughs have impacted the buildings we use, the way we get around and how we live, work and play in the urban space. The development of smart cities…
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For smart cities to reach their full potential, they need to focus on the citizens living in them, not just technology. Traditionally, smart cities have emphasised hardware – the internet of things, ‘big data’ and advanced computing – over the needs of people and the challenges they face living in cities. They have also emphasised marketing and promotion at the expense of hard evidence…
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With the urban share of the world’s population expected to increase to 70 percent by 2050, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy is introducing a new tool to help governments, city planners, NGOs, and developers make cities more equitable, healthy, safe, and vibrant. The simple solution? Walkability. The new tool, Pedestrians First: Tools for a Walkable City will facilitate…
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