Smart Mobility for Seniors through the Urban Connector

Older adults are a population underserved by technology that faces unique challenges when commuting in urban areas due to a decrease in their physical and cognitive skills associated with aging (e.g., a decline in their sight, slower reflexes, loss of hearing, fear of getting lost or disoriented, fear of falling). Smart Cities aim to provide a high quality of life to residents regardless of the special needs they may have. This paper describes our recent efforts in increasing our understanding of seniors’ mobility needs and how to address them through technology, and in particular the development of the Urban Connector. Urban Connector is a product of our interdisciplinary research efforts aiming to address mobility challenges of seniors in El Paso, a city in the U.S. Southwest and validated in New York, a city in the U.S. Northeast. The Urban Connector is a mobile application which design follows recommendations for the development of technology catered to seniors. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Urban connector to address mobility needs of seniors through technology, an evaluation with 38 beta-testers was performed. The results of this evaluation are presented in this paper along with our future efforts based on these results. The Urban Connector contributes to efforts to foster the use of technology aiming to bridge the generational digital divide and support the creation of more inclusive, sustainable, smart cities.