Digital Inequality and Smart Inclusion: A Socio-Spatial Perspective from the Region of Xanthi, Greece

Abstract

This study explores digital inequality as a socio-spatial phenomenon within the context of smart inclusion, focusing on the Regional Unit of Xanthi, Greece—a region marked by ethno-cultural diversity and pronounced urban–rural contrasts. Using a mixed-methods design, this research integrates secondary quantitative data with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews, aiming to uncover how spatial, demographic, and cultural variables shape digital engagement. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are employed to map disparities in internet access and ICT infrastructure, revealing significant gaps linked to geography, education, and economic status. The findings demonstrate that digital inequality is particularly acute in rural, minority, and economically marginalized communities, where limited infrastructure intersects with low digital literacy and socio-economic disadvantage. Interview data further illuminate how residents navigate exclusion, emphasizing generational divides, perceptions of technology, and place-based constraints. By bridging spatial analysis with lived experience, this study advances the conceptualization of digitally inclusive smart regions. It offers policy-relevant insights into how territorial inequality undermines the goals of smart development and proposes context-sensitive interventions to promote equitable digital participation. The case of Xanthi underscores the importance of integrating spatial justice into smart city and regional planning agendas.

Keywords

• digital inequality
• socio-spatial inequality
• smart inclusion
• digital participation
• minority groups
• Muslim minority of Thrace