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Smart City and High-Tech Urban Interventions Targeting Human Health: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review

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  • Adrian Buttazzoni

    (School of Planning, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
    Geographies of Health in Place, Planning, and Public Health Lab, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Marta Veenhof

    (School of Planning, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
    Geographies of Health in Place, Planning, and Public Health Lab, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Leia Minaker

    (School of Planning, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
    Geographies of Health in Place, Planning, and Public Health Lab, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
    School of Public Health and Health Systems, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
    University Avenue West, Environment Building 3, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

Abstract

Urban infrastructure systems responsible for the provision of energy, transportation, shelter, and communication to populations are important determinants of health and health equity. The term “smart city” has been used synonymously with other terms, such as “digital city”, “sustainable city”, and “information city”, even though definitional distinctions exist between terms. In this review, we use “smart cities” as a catch-all term to refer to an emerging concept in urban governance practice and scholarship that has been increasingly applied to achieve public health aims. The objective of this systematic review was to document and analyze the inclusion of equity considerations and dimensions (i.e., a measurement, analytical, or dialectical focus on systematic disparities in health between groups) in smart city interventions aimed to improve human health and well-being. Systematic searches were carried out in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Psychological Information Database (PsycINFO), the PubMed database from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Elsevier’s database Scopus, and Web of Science, returning 3219 titles. Ultimately, 28 articles were retained, assessed, and coded for their inclusion of equity characteristics using the Cochrane PROGRESS-Plus tool (referring to (P) place of residence, (R) race, (O) occupation, (G) gender, (R) religion, (E) education, (S) socio-economic status (SES), and (S) social capital). The most frequently included equity considerations in smart city health interventions were place of residence, SES, social capital, and personal characteristics; conversely, occupation, gender or sex, religion, race, ethnicity, culture, language, and education characteristics were comparatively less featured in such interventions. Overall, it appears that most of intervention evaluations assessed in this review are still in the early testing phases, and thus did not include or feature robust evaluative designs or commercially available technologies

Suggested Citation

  • Adrian Buttazzoni & Marta Veenhof & Leia Minaker, 2020. "Smart City and High-Tech Urban Interventions Targeting Human Health: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:7:p:2325-:d:338877
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Olimpia-Iuliana Ban & Monica-Eva Faur & Elena-Aurelia Botezat & Florica Ștefănescu & Jozsef Gonczi, 2022. "An IPA Approach towards Including Citizens’ Perceptions into Strategic Decisions for Smart Cities in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Judith Schröder & Susanne Moebus & Julita Skodra, 2022. "Selected Research Issues of Urban Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-28, May.
    4. Cayetano Medina-Molina & María de la Sierra Rey-Tienda & Eva María Suárez-Redondo, 2022. "The Transition of Cities towards Innovations in Mobility: Searching for a Global Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-17, June.

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