Towards Smart Inclusive Cities

Abstract

Cities are rethinking the urban future, following a smart city view towards urban development to drive inclusive urban growth and improve the quality of life, shaping the city as an inclusive community and engine of sustainable growth. A smart city helps shape the city of the future, using the potential of information technology to serve both economic and social life, and transform the urban community in a significant way. Inclusive cities protect the value of a city, thus enhancing community development. Smart inclusive cities help support sustainable urban development, strengthening collaborative and open frameworks within urban communities. Currently, several European cities are selecting a smart city vision to develop the city as an open, innovation-led, socially inclusive community. As smart communities, cities of tomorrow employ information and communication technology (ICT) to drive sustainable, open and inclusive urban growth and innovation, improving the quality of life, strengthening smartness as an ability to develop the city as smart inclusive community. Cities are shaping a smart pathway and building an open and inclusive environment for smart urban community development. The study aims to identify the pathway that cities are following to drive the city as smart, sustainable and inclusive urban community. In the study, exploratory case studies drawn from smart city urban planning are duly discussed concerning three cities that are designing a smart future and thus rethinking a smart inclusive urban development. The three European cities of Wien, Paris and Florence, which are planning a smart urban future, to shape inclusive and open innovative urban communities, are hereby discussed.