Inclusive and Accessible SMART City for All

Abstract

Since 2008, the European Union has been facing the economic crisis and many cities need to rethink their current model of socio-economic development in order to meet new challenges—social inclusion and city liveability. Modern cities are adopting smart city concepts all over the world in order to adapt to new emerging technological innovations. To become a smart city is the challenge of the twenty-first century. Smart cities promise the age of innovative urban planning driven by smart technologies that will make cities safer, cleaner, more economical and above all more efficient. However, making our cities not only smart but also more inclusive and accessible will be increasingly important in the following decades. Urban demographic changes require new approaches in urban planning and accessible smart cities represent a promising future. That naturally requires to address different social groups living there in both global and local smart city policies. However, the most vulnerable of them—people with special needs—are not always considered in mainstream policies and therefore cities are urged to rethink their urban agendas with greater focus on social inclusion and accessibility across all development actions. This chapter examines requirements of people with special needs on the quality of urban space for sustainable urban development. The chapter highlights why it is necessary to shift the urban development towards concepts that are aware of the specific needs of the whole population—smart cities for all.