Global Resources and Promising Practices for Building and Refining Accessible and Inclusive Smart Cities from Darren Bates LLC.
When it comes to fostering an ICT procurement process that prioritizes accessibility and usability, the first step is to set your procurement priorities. This involves committing to an accessibility mindset and gaining executive buy-in for this commitment. Then, you’ll be ready to set standards and plan your procurement strategy. This section of Buy IT! walks you through the following steps:…
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Accessible mobility—public transportation that can be used by anyone—is a critical component of future urban development. The New Urban Agenda calls for a significant increase in accessible public transportation, and accessible mobility is part of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Worldwide, more than one billion people live with a disability, 80 per cent of whom…
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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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The goal of Smart Cities should be no less than the full inclusion of ALL citizens, including aging and disabled residents. Conceding to 95% or any target less that 100% inclusion, would be like building 1,000 kilometers of completed superhighway that abruptly terminates in 5 kilometers of dirt roads and ditches. Darren Bates Just a morning thought. Darren Bates…
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Creating a truly disabled-accessible city Accessibility should be and is slowly becoming a concern all over the world, but cities have often been behind the times. Despite the idea of smart cities rising in popularity and many urban areas embracing technology to improve everything from user experience to safety, accessibility hasn’t had the same attention as these ‘glamorous’ innovations. Today,…
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According to the Complete Streets Coalition, “Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work. They allow buses to run on time and…
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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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Google Maps is filling in an important detail for its transit navigation by giving users the option to check a box that will highlight wheelchair accessible stations. The addition of wheelchair accessibility is meant to round out other location and direction features on a global basis. “This feature is rolling out in major metropolitan transit centers … Continue reading Google Maps…
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Technological fixes such as smart cities make a system more complex, resulting in “wicked problems” that require ever more extensive technological remedies. In October 2016, at the World Urban Forum 8 in Quito, Ecuador, UN Habitat launched its third planning cycle with Habitat III, now known as the New Urban Agenda. The agenda defines the work of the global urban…
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article-context-nav context-nav article article-hero-lede article-hero article-contents post-contents On the Sidewalk Labs website is a 200-page document explaining its vision for a smart neighborhood in Toronto. It’s packed with illustrations that show a warm, idyllic community full of grassy parks, modular buildings and underground tunnels with delivery robots and internet cabling inside. The text describes “a truly complete community” that’s free…
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently hosted its annual Assistive Technology Hackathon (ATHack), an event that brings together people with disabilities and students from the graduate to Ph.D. level to work on prototypes for assistive tools. During this year’s multidisciplinary event, teams built “an accessible beanbag-toss game, a personalized blood pressure cuff, a portable and collapsible shower chair, battery and…
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If you asked a ballroom full of government leaders what keeps them up at night, what do you think they would say? According to our latest “What’s Next in Digital Communications for Local Government” survey results, expanding citizen engagement, increasing digital accessibility and minimizing cybersecurity risks top their to-do lists. Nearly 370 municipal and county government officials across North America…
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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 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for closer collaboration between the cities of London and San Francisco, highlighting the importance of stronger relationships based on shared values of openness and inclusivity, and the need for cities to work together to promote greater gender diversity Speaking at the SXSW tech conference earlier this week, the Mayor talked about the growing…
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Advancements in technology can play a deep and meaningful role in the independent mobility of people who are blind or have low vision. That is why we created Soundscape, a free app available today on iOS and iPhone in the UK. Soundscape empowers more people to explore the world around them through a 3D audio experience. The app enriches your…
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As cities work to add technologies to improve residents’ lives and mobility, many are putting a renewed focus on inclusivity and equitable innovation distribution. Yet despite this inclusivity push, experts say people with disabilities remain an overlooked group, especially during city planning processes. “Very few [cities] are thinking about all of their citizens, including specifically, citizens with disabilities,” said…
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Thoughtful Leadership Is the First Step Toward Equitable Smart Cities Smart city solutions could be contributing to the digital divide. Local and conscious solutions can bring equity back in focus. Brooks Rainwater is the senior executive and director of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Center for City Solutions. Rainwater drives the organization’s research agenda, community engagement efforts, and leadership…
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Worldwide, over 1 billion people live with a disability. Demographic change leads in some parts of the world to an ever-aging population while in other parts birth rates are still well above four children per women. Thus, many people face immense barriers to take part at social and economic activities. Accessibility to public transport and the usability of public infrastructure…
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“A SMART CITY IS A CONNECTED CITY AND A CONNECTED CITY IS AN ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE CITY” The goal of Smart City citizen/community engagement is to meaningfully connect all citizens, the local developer community, artists and cultural institutions, entrepreneurs, start-ups, universities, and companies to improve the lives and the quality of life of all Smart City citizens. Darren Bates…
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New York City adds sign language video calling service Dive Brief: New York City has added a video communication service, ASL Direct, for hearing impaired residents who use American Sign Language (ASL) and want information about or access to city services. Users connect with a person fluent in ASL through a webcam conversation. The service also has a…
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