Abstract
Smart cities are being developed throughout Japan. In recent years, living labs have attracted attention as a mechanism for citizen participation in smart cities and have been worked on some municipality. However, conventional Living Labs have been conducted face-to-face, which has resulted in a certain number of citizens unable to participate due to factors such as time and location. In the last couple of years, Digital Participation Platforms are now being recognized as mechanisms to increase the inclusivity of Living Labs and encourage the participation of the silent majority. This research explores the integration of digital participation platforms with Living Lab programs to enhance inclusiveness in smart cities. The study, conducted in the smart city of Kashiwa-no-ha, combines face-to-face Living Lab activities with a digital participation platform developed by the author. Results show increased citizen participation, collection of diverse citizens ‘voices, and immediate identification of problems. The digital participation platform accommodates those unable to participate in face-to-face settings and provides anonymity for silent citizens. Additionally, while this platform lacks the dynamism of face-to-face communication, the combination of both methods proves essential for optimal inclusiveness. The study concludes that digital participation platforms contribute to overall inclusiveness by providing continuous feedback and empowering citizens, but sustainability challenges require ongoing promotion and incentives.
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Notes
- 1.
Total number of participants and posts, including programs other than Programs 1–4.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the anonymous reviewers and editors for their insightful comments and suggestions. Additionally, we would like to extend our utmost appreciation to the UDCK (Urban Design Center Kashiwa-no-ha) for their invaluable assistance in this study.
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Fujii, K., Kurimoto, H., Hassaki, A., Ooyama, K., Sasao, T. (2024). Enhancing Inclusiveness with Digital Technologies: A Case Study Combining Digital Participation Platforms with Living Lab Programs. In: Streitz, N.A., Konomi, S. (eds) Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions. HCII 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14718. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59988-0_11
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