Inclusive Participation in Smart City Initiatives: Mapping the Scientific Discourse

Stakeholder involvement is crucial in smart city initiatives, with growing emphasis on inclusive participation of all social groups. By means of a systematic literature review, we study how inclusive participation is conceptualized in smart city initiatives. We therefore study publications on digital and analogue participation formats in smart city initiatives and assess how various stakeholder groups are engaged. The review reveals inconsistent definitions and applications of inclusion and in-clusive participation across the literature. Drawing on these findings, we propose a structured overview and a conceptual definition of inclusive participation in smart city initiatives to support clearer frameworks for future research and implementation.