Abstract Summary
New technologies can offer countless possibilities and solutions for many issues. However, not everyone can benefit from it. We believe it is necessary to explicitly pay attention to, and foster, the development of tech solutions for marginalized groups in cities and societies. If we fail to pay attention, the possibilities of technology may benefit only the people who are already best off, and leave people who have a less favorable position in life or society behind. In this way tech will increase the gap between the more and less fortunate. The report gives an overview of obstacles and suitable solutions when developing tech for and with marginalized groups. The aim is to provide knowledge, tips and tools for - policy makers at local or national government level who want to foster development of tech solutions for these groups - tech companies and NGOs to raise awareness and promote the social value of tech for marginalized citizens. - anyone wanting to develop technology for these groups – tech students and research groups, but also platforms who work with specific target groups. During our research, we encountered obstacles that can partly be solved by a closer cooperation and a better understanding of the challenges of today's society. The process described in the report is divided in different phases, from identifying needs of specific groups to implementation and maintenance of tech solutions for these groups. For all phases, we present common obstacles for which we provide solutions and resources such as templates and methodologies. We have also come across obstacles that cannot be solved within this project but require further research and cooperation with stakeholders and responsible parties. An example is the funding of tech for marginalized groups. This is a recurring bottleneck and an important topic in this report. Our research is based on interviews and interactive sessions we held with different stakeholders. We also ran pilots within the CommuniCity project that gave us insight into practice. This report is an initial document. It will be put online in a user-friendly shape. In the course of the EU-project CommuniCity, we will collect more learnings which will help improve and refine the report. More information on the EU-project CommuniCity: In this EU-project, three Open calls are organized in which EU cities present challenges, focusing on issues of any marginalized groups in cities - from people who are deaf to refugees to illiterate people to long-term unemployed. Proposals can be submitted by organizations and individuals, but in practice most applicants are tech startups. The best proposals receive a small subsidy to conduct a pilot in one or more cities. For further information see https://communicity-project.eu/
