Submitted by editor on Mon, 2016/06/20 - 7:57pm
Can we build equitable smart cities?
Certainly there are instances in which specific interventions directly improve life for low-income communities (the Metrocable and escalators in Medellin come to mind), but too often, smart city policy skews towards idealism.
Escalators in Medellin connect poor neighborhoods to the rest of the city,
making it easier for residents to get to work and school.
Mexico City, for example, is often named one of the top smart cities in Latin America. But some of its smart city initiatives — building technology meant to counteract smog, for example — are slow to reach the sprawling neighborhoods outside of the city center. These are disadvantaged communities in which small changes like clean water and better transit could mean big benefits.