Design Ideas for Inclusive Smart Cities

Design Ideas for Inclusive Smart Cities is a free illustrated book that helps children explore how thoughtful urban design can make everyday places accessible, fair, safe, welcoming, and ready for change. Across 243 short visual stories, each idea presents a city challenge, shows who may be affected, and illustrates a more inclusive design response. Think & Talk prompts help readers notice details, ask questions, compare experiences, and imagine improvements.

The fourteen sections cover accessible routes, mobility, public spaces, safety, ageing, young people, calm places, digital inclusion, homes and services, culture and belonging, fair work, climate-ready cities, shared decisions, and continuous improvement. The book can support classroom discussion, family reading, library activities, workshops, and community engagement. A searchable text companion makes it easy to find stories by ID.

Explore the book and download the free PDF: https://ngcharithperera.github.io/smartcities-edi-kids-book/

Searchable text companion: https://ngcharithperera.github.io/smartcities-edi-kids-book/book-text.html

The book is developed in collaboration with IEEE Smart Cities. The public site offers PDF editions in several file sizes; the lowest-quality download is 67.5 MB.