Smart cities for people with disabilities: a systematic literature review and future research directions

Smart cities are promising communities that leverage intelligent technologies to connect citizens through internet devices, thereby improving their quality of life. This is especially crucial for citizens with disabilities, who face significant challenges in urban living. This paper reviews, summarises, and synthesises the current literature on smart cities for people with disabilities. The analysis is grounded in a sociotechnical framework and the Quadruple Helix Model, with a focus on effective collaborations among various stakeholders to provide sustainable and inclusive smart cities. In examining 83 peer-reviewed articles, our literature analysis reveals that, despite the growing number of studies on smart cities, very few have explored the challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities from a socio-technical and collaborative perspective. Accordingly, we call for interdisciplinary research to understand how smart technologies should be developed, implemented, and used to address the special needs of people with disabilities and to build inclusive and technologically advanced smart cities. This study contributes to both research and practice by highlighting the underexamined area of inclusive smart cities. It provides a conceptual framework that can serve as a guideline to address and enhance the understanding of the critical role of smart cities in fostering social inclusion.