Mapping key features and dimensions of the inclusive city: A systematic bibliometric analysis and literature study

Abstract

Many local governments engaging in sustainable urban development also have a growing interest in becoming inclusive too, brand themselves as such and develop policies to become inclusive cities. However, knowing what exactly this entails and how it can be achieved is not always quite straightforward and requires thorough theoretical and empirical exploration. Consequently, we present a systematic deconstruction of the inclusive city concept in order to develop a better understanding of the main features and dimensions; this is done by means of both a bibliometric analysis and qualitative literature review. The results indicate that inclusiveness is multidimensional and comprised of spatial, social, environmental, economic, and political dimensions in which the characteristics of participation, equity, accessibility and sustainability are sometimes interwoven. Overall, the inclusive city is not merely a precondition for the creation of just space, well-being, and environmental responsibility, but also an opportunity to take stock of interests of stakeholders in cities and to create local public value. The findings have implications for urban policy and practice, more specifically, the clarification of the inclusive city concept and conceptual dimensions will provide significant reference for policymakers and practitioners to make prudent decisions in the process of creating an inclusive city.

The Metaverse as a Virtual Form of Smart Cities: Opportunities and Challenges for Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Urban Futures

“…Cities have the unique characteristics of bringing diverse cultural strands together, highlighting the importance of our human social dimension. However, it has also been documented that due to factors such as the economy, politics, socio-economic inequalities, and capitalism, amongst others, the aspect of social interaction is very elusive [96]. This is further complicated by conventional urban planning models that promote elements like individualism affirmed by our emphasis on private car ownership, car type choice, the construction of high-rise buildings that do not promote mixed use, reduced number of recreation public spaces, and others [97].…”

A Critical Success Factor Framework for Implementing Sustainable Innovative and Affordable Housing: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis

“…The systematic literature review was used to gather the CSFs from bodies of knowledge within construction and across disciplines, streamlined through synthesis and clustered to identify CSFs, using a content analysis. The main strength of a systematic narrative review is the relatively fine-grained content analysis constructing explanatory theoretical models [56]. Subsequently, a bibliometric analysis was applied to validate and map the clustered CSFs that resulted from the systematic literature review.…”

Can creative cities be inclusive too? How do Dubai, Amsterdam and Toronto navigate the tensions between creativity and inclusiveness in their adoption of city brands and policy initiatives?

“…We confine ourselves to two prominent labels: the creative city and the inclusive city. Recently, cities such as Melbourne and Copenhagen, which have acquired fame as 'creative cities', have added the label 'inclusive' to their brand (Anttiroiko and De Jong, 2020;Liang et al, 2021). Although most city labels aim to balance social liveability, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability, not all labels can be effortlessly combined without potentially causing inconsistencies and tensions in branding and policy efforts.…”