A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Digital Cities and the Brazilian Index of Digital Cities: Analysis of Curitiba, the First-Ranked City

Abstract

The concept of digital cities has gained prominence as the importance of ICTs is undoubtedly related to economic, social, and civic development. Brazil is following this trend, and the Ministry of Communications and CPqD created the Brazilian Digital Cities Index for evaluating national digital cities. Based on the concepts of connectivity, accessibility, and communicability that originated from the analysis of United Nations documents on the Information Society, we analyze the city of Curitiba, first-ranked in this Index. We provide a historical vision of the process that enabled the city to achieve this position, and scrutinize the questionnaire used by CPqD. We conclude that the Brazilian Index of Digital Cities does not take into account some key aspects for ranking the city's degree of inclusion in the information society, as proposed by the United Nations. Nevertheless, it is also possible to conclude that Curitiba's position in the ranking represents a historical construction determined by the influence of various social actors.

Keywords:

• Digital city
• Brazilian ranking of digital cities
• connectivity
• accessibility
• communicability
• Curitiba

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to CAPES, CNPq, and Fundação Araucária for supporting this research.

Notes on Contributors

Fábio Duarte is a professor in the graduate program of urban management at Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR).

Frederico de Carvalho Figueiredo is a PhD candidate in the graduate program of urban management at PUCPR.

Leonardo Leite has a PhD in urban management from PUCPR.

Denis Alcides Rezende is a professor in the graduate program of urban management at Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR).

Notes

1. See the Ministry of Communications’ website: http://www.mc.gov.br/inclusao-digital/acoes-e-programas/cidades-digitais

2. Atlas of Urban Development in Brazil 2013, elaborated by the United Nations Development Programme: http://atlasbrasil.org.br/2013/pt/ranking