Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Too often the focus of Smart Cities is on how technology will create efficiency and economic production but not on creating opportunity. In contrast to global precedent, the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) has been the first main organization to explicitly focus on how underserved communities are vital to developing Smart Cities. The purpose of the paper is to maintain this dedication to inclusivity. Smart Sustainable Cities (SSCs) are only sustainable if social equity is at equal prioritiy with the environment and the economy. In the context of this paper, the paper shall focus on spatial equity as it relates to three components of SSCs: smart people, smart governance, and smart mobility. Essentially, how does smar technology in a city intersect with equity issues present in where one lives in a city. The paper concludes with proposed solutions to alleviate potential spatial equity problems that may arise as cities become smarter. The ultimate goal of the paper is to ensure a model for urban development that invests in the future of all people in a city, both in the present and future. The paper was the concluding deliverable with a summer internship with the US DOT's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology.