Whereas most definitions of an Intelligent or Smart City focus on technological interconnectedness of smart objects and electronic services, the authors have chosen to focus on other aspects that also define a smart city. Smart City is a definition given to urban areas in which citizens’ lives are enhanced by the systems intertwining the geographical and historical areas of the community.
Published in Chapter:
A Smart City for the Blind: Marburg as a Case Study
Dago Schelin (Philipps University of Marburg, Germany), Péricles Varella Gomes (UniBrasil University Center, Brazil), and Verônica Isabela Quandt (Universidade Positivo, Brazil)
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-5062-5.ch005
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors present the German city of Marburg as an alternative model for the conception of a smart city. Marburg's historical relation with its visually impaired citizens has shaped not only its infrastructure but also its human framework. Generally, smart cities are equated with world-class major metropolitan areas, with international airports, use of high band internet, internet of things, and other IT infrastructures. However, Marburg might be considered a smart city according to other criteria. This case study articulates the uniqueness of what Marburg has been able to achieve using a diverse approach of cultural acceptance of the blind, becoming a world reference for other small cities. The authors suggest that Marburg can serve as a model for other cities. This hypothesis was reached through critical investigations into concepts of smartness and disability, intersected with the insights obtained in a focus group interview.