Social inclusion in the smart city: the role of Digital Applications in Culture and the Arts

This paper asks how digital applications in the field of culture and the arts impact social inclusion in the smart city. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the offer of digital cultural services and activities in cities has accelerated. However, studies on the impact of this acceleration on cultural consumption and social inclusion are quite rare. Analyzing 40 semi-structured interviews with key managers in the urban and cultural domain, this study expands the smart culture concept to a broad range of digital applications. These applications include online cultural and artistic events; social media activities operated by cultural institutions; QR codes providing access to cultural content; e-ticketing systems and digital resident cards offering local events. As these applications aim to increase residents’ access to culture and to enable communication among residents, cultural institutions and related municipal departments, I ask whether these goals are indeed fulfilled. Doing so, I define six disadvantaged groups affected by the use of digital applications. The applied contribution of the study lies in its proposal for developing inclusive smart culture policies and strategies, ultimately leading to more equitable and resilient cities.