Inclusive Smart Cities: An Exploratory Study on the London Smart City Strategy

Abstract

Smart city strategies have been developed in several cities worldwide to improve the well-being of residents, social life and economic welfare through digital transformation and technology-based interventions. The need for cities to supply assistive services and inclusive strategies for all people has also increased with the increasing urban population and smart city applications. Although technology offers several benefits for more inclusive and liveable environments, there are also drawbacks due to difficulties in adapting to digitalization and due to limited accessibility. The present study aims to explore smart city strategies from an inclusiveness perspective by analysing the London smart city strategy as a case study using a qualitative research methodology. Qualitative data analysis was conducted based on secondary data from London smart city strategy documents and semi-structured interviews with domain experts. Although inclusiveness is embedded in the London smart city strategy, there is still room for improvement. The results of this study indicate that spatial inclusion is the major focus of the London smart city policy where inclusive housing, transport and health management systems are promoted with a variety of assistive technologies with some scope on social and economic inclusion. This study proposed ways of boosting inclusiveness by improving citizen engagement through collaborations, increased transparency, and measures for preventing data misuse and misinterpretation. Using London as a case study, potential barriers in implementing inclusive strategies for smart cities in practice are highlighted, which may provide valuable learned lessons for other cities.