Building Inclusive Smart Cities through Innovation Intermediaries

Dominique Lepore (), Niccolò Testi and Edna Pasher
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Dominique Lepore: Department of Law, University of Macerata, Piaggia dell’Università, 2, 62100 Macerata, Italy
Niccolò Testi: Department of Law, University of Macerata, Piaggia dell’Università, 2, 62100 Macerata, Italy
Edna Pasher: Edna Pasher PhD and Associates Management Consultants Ltd., 35 Rofe Hamachterot, Tel Aviv 6937254, Israel

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: To be inclusive, smart cities should be built on Industry 4.0 technologies within a quadruple helix model involving governments, academia, industry, and citizens. Innovation intermediaries facilitating collaborative innovation could foster this model of smart city. This paper identifies digital innovation hubs (DIHs) as innovation intermediaries that can help build inclusive smart cities. A screening of DIHs in European and extra-European countries through desk research finds 48 DIHs linked to smart city projects or policies, of which 23 are involved in building inclusive smart cities and mostly addressing the areas of smart environment and government. This paper suggests a framework for boosting their functions as transformation leaders, knowledge brokers, and technical mediators to facilitate the use of Industry 4.0 technologies for building inclusive smart cities.

Keywords: smart city; IoT; big data; DIH; smart environment; blockchain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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