Exploring the design of people-centred inclusive smart cities using integrated inclusion approaches and citizen engagement strategies through case studies of London, Bengaluru, and Kampala

The twenty-first century is the age of cities. A country's sustainable growth and development depend on its cities' success and failure. The smart city approach, the new and emerging model of urban development, is expected to offer plausible solutions to tackle urban challenges. However, the different smart city models that evolved around the globe are still at a nascent stage and are subject to substantial debates and questions. Critical questions still need to be answered: Does this new urban development paradigm contribute to all its citizens' well-being, leaving no one behind? Is urban inclusion a priority in current smart city planning? If so, does smart city planning address the challenges of the inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations living in cities? How ICT and digital innovations can contribute to change in our contemporary cities? Do they have the potential to improve quality of life, access, participation and opportunity and eliminate exclusion and existing inequalities? Urban inclusion, the crucial aspect of sustainable development, is a critical challenge. It affects different people, often identified by gender, age, race, religion, class, and disabilities, including migrants and refugees. However, the current discussions of urban inclusion within the extant smart city literature are abstract and limited in their scope and considerations. This research focuses on this gap and contributes to the research literature and the advancement of practice-based knowledge to better understand inclusive development models in smart city theory, principles and projects. The key question guiding this research is: Can smart city be equitable; does it address the current challenges of urban inclusion and contribute to the well-being of all citizens, leaving no one behind? This research investigates the critical challenges of urban inclusion in contemporary cities and explores the interplay between the smart city and the inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. The study involves a literature review of the existing research and policy landscape, exploring evidence from multiple data sources, including rigorous document analysis, followed by a qualitative study of three case studies (London, Bengaluru and Kampala), providing an enriching spatial comparison with additional inputs from global thematic experts. To increase the credibility and validity of qualitative research, semi-structured interviews are conducted with relevant stakeholders from the case study locations and other global regions. This study offers conceptual, theoretical, and empirical contributions to knowledge about the dimensions, challenges and relationships of the inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations in smart city planning and development. It aims to identify new tools and methods and offer policy recommendations for enhanced inclusion and equity. The integrated inclusion approach and renewed citizen engagement strategies are expected to contribute to people-centric and inclusive smart city planning. The recommendations include an integrated inclusion vision, an inclusive smart city framework and certain key elements of a citizen engagement strategy. This study focuses on vulnerable and disadvantaged populations like- the elderly, people with disabilities, women, children, youth, poor, migrants, refugees and other minority and ethnic and religious groups, including the LGBTI community, who are often neglected and excluded from mainstream development. This study is relevant to understanding the need and urgency of an inclusive smart city development approach and suggesting the basic and essential guidelines and integrated framework to address the specific challenges identified in this study and for creating a basis for an inclusive approach and for designing future cities that are more inclusive and equitable, thus leaving no one behind.