Smart Cities, Smart Exclusion: The Digital Divide in Marginalized Neighborhoods
Ciudades inteligentes, exclusión inteligente: brechas digitales en barrios marginados
Keywords:
Smart cities, Digital divide, Urban inequality, Digital justice, Marginalized communitiesAbstract
This article critically examines how smart city initiatives, while promising innovation and efficiency, often deepen socio-spatial inequalities by reinforcing the digital divide in marginalized urban neighborhoods. Focusing on case studies from Latin American cities, the research analyzes how urban digitalization policies systematically exclude low-income populations through limited internet access, lack of digital literacy programs, and the uneven deployment of smart infrastructure. Using a mixed-methods approach—combining spatial data analysis, policy review, and interviews with residents and planners—this study reveals how digital urbanism can unintentionally reproduce patterns of exclusion under the guise of technological progress. The novelty of this research lies in its framing of digital justice as a central criterion for evaluating smart city success. By shifting the focus from technological efficiency to social equity, the article contributes to critical smart city discourse and advocates for inclusive digital strategies that prioritize urban poor communities.
Este artículo examina críticamente cómo las iniciativas de ciudades inteligentes, aunque prometen innovación y eficiencia, suelen profundizar las desigualdades socioespaciales al reforzar la brecha digital en barrios urbanos marginados. A partir de estudios de caso en ciudades latinoamericanas, la investigación analiza cómo las políticas de digitalización urbana excluyen sistemáticamente a las poblaciones de bajos ingresos debido al acceso limitado a internet, la falta de programas de alfabetización digital y la implementación desigual de infraestructuras inteligentes. Mediante un enfoque metodológico mixto —que combina análisis espacial, revisión de políticas y entrevistas con residentes y planificadores— el estudio demuestra cómo el urbanismo digital puede reproducir patrones de exclusión bajo el discurso del progreso tecnológico. La originalidad de esta investigación radica en posicionar la justicia digital como un criterio central para evaluar el éxito de las ciudades inteligentes. Al desplazar el enfoque desde la eficiencia tecnológica hacia la equidad social, el artículo contribuye al discurso crítico sobre ciudades inteligentes y aboga por estrategias digitales inclusivas centradas en las comunidades urbanas empobrecidas.
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