The role of ICT in fostering inclusive cities: a five-factor model from a mid-sized global South City (Hamadan, Iran)
Rapid urbanization across the Global South is intensifying socio-spatial inequalities, positioning information and communication technologies (ICT) as a potential mechanism for inclusion. However, persistent multi-layered digital divides continue to raise questions regarding who ultimately benefits...
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| Autori principali: | , , |
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| Natura: | Article (Journal) |
| Lingua: | inglese |
| Pubblicazione: |
July 2026
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| In: |
Cities
Year: 2026, Volume: 174, Pages: 1-4 |
| ISSN: | 0264-2751 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cities.2026.107028 |
| Accesso online: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2026.107028 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026427512600260X 
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| Note sull'autore: | Fatemeh Farjamtalab, Hooshmand Alizadeh, Tabea Bork-Hüffer |
| Riassunto: | Rapid urbanization across the Global South is intensifying socio-spatial inequalities, positioning information and communication technologies (ICT) as a potential mechanism for inclusion. However, persistent multi-layered digital divides continue to raise questions regarding who ultimately benefits from digital transformation. This Brief Communication addresses this gap through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of survey data collected from 430 residents of Hamadan, Iran—a mid-sized city with emerging e-government initiatives. Five factors explain 91.4% of the total variance: (1) civic digital engagement, (2) digital literacy and usage, (3) technology costs and infrastructure quality, (4) digital equity and social transparency, and (5) the facilitation-security interplay. The primary original contribution is the empirical identification of a fourth-level digital divide, whereby sociopolitical trust and perceived security determine whether digital facilitation translates into meaningful inclusion outcomes. Although grounded in the Iranian context, the findings are transferable to mid-sized cities facing institutional trust deficits, uneven infrastructure, and peripheral connectivity gaps. The results suggest that trust and perceived security should be conceptualized as measurable dimensions of inclusion rather than contextual background conditions. By addressing the metropolitan bias prevalent in ICT and urban governance scholarship, this study provides a replicable framework for inclusive digital planning in mid-sized Global South cities and offers policy-relevant insights for practitioners. |
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| Descrizione del documento: | Gesehen am 16.06.2026 |
| Descrizione fisica: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 0264-2751 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cities.2026.107028 |