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The Good Old Days: Revisiting Imperial College London

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The Good Old Days: Revisiting Imperial College London

Many years ago, before I was immersed in the world of autonomous vehicles and fibre connectivity, I was a civil engineering undergraduate student at Imperial College London. The last course I ever took was the infamous 3rd year design project. It was an intense, 5-week group project where student teams were put in a work-simulation environment, tasked with completing projects ranging from complicated engineering issues to snazzy urban design problems. My project consisted of designing a gas platform for the North Sea and included a rendered fly-through with the Batman theme song playing in the background as the sun rose above the horizon. Ah, the good old days…

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Project Endeavour: What Happens Next?

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Project Endeavour: What Happens Next?

Back in September, the DG Cities team was buzzing around the CENEX CAM event. Between presenting on panels and showcasing our projects, we certainly kept ourselves busy. We were especially excited to launch Project Endeavour at the event alongside our consortium partners Nominet, Oxbotica and Immense Simulations.

This week, our partners have been sharing some insights into the project at the Telegraph Smart Mobility Summit (where our MD, Trevor, also took part in the keynote panel on the importance of collaboration).

We’ve had a fantastic response since the launch and so now seems like the perfect opportunity to share a little more about the role of DG Cities in this exciting project.

Smart cities are great, but who’s designing happy cities?

Smart cities are great, but who’s designing happy cities?

In 2018 the United Kingdom was the first country to ever appoint a minister of loneliness – an initiative founded on the self-evident basis that loneliness is one of the greatest public challenges of our current times. Or perhaps as a retaliation to the unsettling finding from the Office for National Statistics that places Britain as the “loneliness capital of Europe.”

From an Autonomous Vehicle to an ‘Autonomous Service’: AV Charging, Servicing and V2X

From an Autonomous Vehicle to an ‘Autonomous Service’: AV Charging, Servicing and V2X

The real-life integration of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is becoming an increasingly popular topic of discussion. While anticipation and excitement is rising, the day that AVs will become commonplace on our roads remains unconfirmed, with estimates varying widely. Many battles need to be fought and kinks ironed out before the prospect of us riding in autonomous vehicles, on demand, can become a reality.

A Month In Perspective

A Month In Perspective

From my first week of working with this talented and friendly team, I knew I had landed in the right place. Where else could I facilitate the application of the latest telecoms and technologies to make cities (and hence the habitat of most of the world's population) more efficient and livable? And if the expression "as goes London, so go the cities of Europe" has factual merit, then my colleagues and I can derive even more motivation from our potential influence.

Building a Low-Carbon Future: Definitions, Challenges and Policy (Dis)incentives

Building a Low-Carbon Future: Definitions, Challenges and Policy (Dis)incentives

It has been over a month since the climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion took over the streets of London, amongst other cities, demanding that national governments take immediate action to address climate change. This sort of action is not unfamiliar to the country, however, as the UK Government has been under intense pressure to reduce its carbon emissions and to revisit its current carbon reduction target.

Week Two Reflections: Just the Tip of the Iceberg!

Week Two Reflections: Just the Tip of the Iceberg!

I’m the newest member of the DG Cities team, having joined as a Project Officer just last week. Walking into the office on my first day I was both impressed and slightly intimidated, though within mere minutes I felt welcomed as part of the crew. Almost instantly I began to understand why the team works so well together: each individual member brings a slightly different background and skillset to DG Cities, which enables such success in their work and collaborations. With engineers, physicists and architects already on board, I hope that my strong sustainability focus and modelling experience will prove to be a valuable asset to the team!

Nature-Inspired Engineering, Black Holes and More: A Roundup of What has Us Excited at DG Cities

Nature-Inspired Engineering, Black Holes and More: A Roundup of What has Us Excited at DG Cities

Here at DG Cities we’re in the fortunate position of having a remit that includes staying abreast of the latest developments in new technology. That said, when you are immersed in this field, it admittedly is quite easy to become a little bit desensitised to it all. This is in part because there are just so many exciting developments and products constantly emerging in the world of technology and innovation - so to stand out from the crowd a new idea has to be pretty transformational.

Three Months On: How has the New Recruit Fared?

Three Months On: How has the New Recruit Fared?

Well, it’s certainly been a while since I checked in. For those who didn’t read my first blog post, I joined DG Cities as a Project Officer just shy of three months ago. When I last wrote, I was excited and daunted in equal measure. From day one I found myself surrounded by an endlessly kind, sharp (though admittedly intimidating) team, and immersed in a seemingly ever-growing list of puzzling acronyms and complex technological terms. Luckily, I have since found my sea legs.

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The Beginner’s Guide to the ULEZ: What is it and Why is it Important to Our City?

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The Beginner’s Guide to the ULEZ: What is it and Why is it Important to Our City?

If you’re in London, you’ve probably noticed signs scattered throughout the city hoping to catch the attention of busy passersby to remind them that the ULEZ is coming. Perhaps you’ve spotted one during your morning commute on the tube, or seen one fixed to the side of the bus as it whizzed past you on your way home. But what actually is the ULEZ? …

Day Two on the Job: Musings of a New Starter

Day Two on the Job: Musings of a New Starter

Today is my second day at DG Cities and my excitement is only gaining momentum. Two days into the role and already I envision this team of 11 growing in size, quickly becoming a sea of hundreds, all eagerly brainstorming and collaborating to reshape and improve our cities. Or perhaps these are the musings of a graduating millennial wishfully getting ahead of himself. But how could I not, when the setting is so compelling?