What's so "Smart" about Smart Transport?
We seem to use the adjective ‘smart’ a lot these days in relation to technology-enabled scenarios; smart phone, smart city, and of course smart transport are three which immediately come into my head.
Here at DG Cities we spend a lot of time looking at emerging trends and technologies, and overlaying them on to what it means for the city and its citizens. I’m lucky enough to work in an organisation which prides itself on the multidisciplinary expertise of its small team, so we are able to take a far more holistic approach to our work, rather than siloing ourselves into looking at specialisms in isolation.
IDEMA: Opportunities and limitations of generating surplus energy in the UK
Welcome back to our IDEMA project blog series . Last time, we introduced the three step Renewable Energy Assessment Framework and the outcomes of step 1, identifying suitable technologies. So, today, we’re going to talk about step 2 and how we applied it to IDEMA.
Urban Innovation at the Front Line: January at DG Cities
What Makes DG Cities Different
We all know that the world is facing unprecedented challenges: from increasing social divides to the ever-present climate emergency. The world can seem like a scary place right now. But there is good news. These challenges get played out first in our cities so by exploring how we can make our cities better, we can positively influence the world around us. And there is a huge potential in our towns and cities, just waiting to be unlocked by technology, data and new approaches.
IDEMA: Introducing the Renewable Energy Technology Assessment Framework
For the past year DG Cities has been closely involved in an InnovateUK funded project called IDEMA - a technical feasibility study for 11 sustainable homes in the UK. Our role in this multidisciplinary research project, has been to identify the most appropriate renewable energy technology strategy for these homes. As the project draws to a close, this is the first in a series of blog posts about our work, learnings and recommendations for developers and local authorities.
SMLL: The Story So Far
Those of you who read our 2019 review will have picked up on the fact that for the past 18 months, the Smart Mobility Living Lab has been a major undertaking for Team DG Cities. But what exactly has our role in this ambitious project been? Well today, we’re going to share our SMLL story so far…
2020: 5 Predictions for the Year Ahead
It’s January 2020: a new year and a new decade. Which in the world of tech and innovation always means one thing: a raft of predictions based on what’s been shown at CES in Las Vegas. So today we’re sharing our thoughts for the year ahead, but with an important difference: rather than rounding up all of the shiniest new gadgets, we’re identifying trends / predictions that point towards more purposeful urban innovation that could result in real change for people.
Urban Innovation in Action: 2019 at DG Cities
As the end of the year draws to a close, we thought instead of our normal monthly review, we’d take a bigger trip down Memory Lane, looking at how we lived in 2019. Every year has its ups and downs but for me, this year has definitely been on an upward (albeit slow one at times) trend, where a lot of hard work started to pay off towards the end of the year.
Urban Innovation in Action: November at DG Cities
Welcome to a brand new blog series! Each month we are going to be bringing you a Behind-the Scenes insight into what we’ve been up to. All with the aim of answering the simple question: “What on earth do we really do?”.
We hope to bring you closer to smart city innovation as it really is; away from the conference glamour and direct from the front line. Pushing the boundaries is not easy and at times can even be a little bit monotonous, but by persisting with the baby-steps we know we are moving forward.
Smart Cities: Common Challenges for Local Authorities...and how to tackle them
With close to 60 years of local government experience at DG Cities, we are aware firsthand of the challenges facing forward thinking local authorities. And we know that one of the biggest challenges is the pace of change. We all know that we’re in a period of rapid technological change, and the possibilities and opportunities arising from that technological change are enormous. So far, so exciting! But this can also be challenging if you’re a buyer or a seller; and Standing Orders and the Public Contract Regulations mean that long lead times are unavoidable. And what’s the implications of this? Well, we’ve heard of high value LED lighting contracts that took so long to be procured that by the time the authority was ready to sign the contract, the solution was out of date and the procurement process was cancelled.
Improving Urban Accessibility: By Design
Over the past few decades we have seen huge technological progress and a reduction of mobility costs relative to income. These two factors have resulted in a shift in our urban areas, from “access by proximity” – a design solution that enables people to meet their daily needs without relying on motor vehicles for transportation - to “access by movement”.
This significant shift has resulted in major, inter-related changes and challenges:
Changes to the way our cities are formed: we’ve seen them de-densify and expand horizontally
Pressing and growing challenges such as congestion and pollution
Inefficient use of assets and resources: space, time, energy etc.
Deterioration of peoples’ health: increasing obesity and respiratory diseases
Image Credit: Ryoji Iwata
Cities’ morphology (how urban areas are formed and transitioned) play a crucial role in optimising the use of resources, increasing productivity, inclusivity and accessibility, while at the same time reducing the need to travel around the city. The key to managing a city’s morphology to ensure it is efficient and liveable, lies in the optimal distribution of densities, mix of uses, and building typologies across the area. Compact, dense and mixed-use cities favour walking and cycling distances and reduce the need to travel in the city. However, once a city gets beyond a certain size, it is no longer possible to concentrate all densities, uses, and economic activities around a single centre; that would lead to sprawl. When cities pass a certain size and density therefore they need to embrace what is known as the “polycentric city model”, which accommodates and facilitates growth around various and multiple urban centres. It is the ideal model to implement where you have semi-consolidated (built but with some areas of space available for development) or non-consolidated (non-developed with lots of scope for shaping) areas. Deployed successfully, polycentric cities can improve accessibility, productivity and liveability. But what do we do in those consolidated urban areas (fully built with no space or scope to change) that have low density and / or single use?
In such areas, digital infrastructure and new technologies have the potential to dramatically improve accessibility, congestion, pollution and productivity. And this is just what DG Cities aims to demonstrate through the Endeavour project in Greenwich. The Royal Borough has some single-use residential areas of very low density. Because of the low density of housing over a large space, these areas, such as Eltham, aren’t as well served by public transport (the provision of infrastructure is more expensive per unit at lower levels of urban density). The uptake of private vehicles in such areas tend to be high and as seen in all urban areas with high private vehicle use, levels of congestion and pollution are also high.
The Endeavour project aims to reduce private vehicle ownership and usage within the Borough by deploying on-demand shared mobility services. Ridesharing vehicles will connect people living in the Borough’s low-density residential areas with the Borough’s main transport hubs, improving the accessibility levels of these areas and ultimately, we hope, reducing private vehicle use and single vehicle occupancy. All of which will help to address the congestion and pollution levels of the Borough. It’s a chance for us to put our urban design expertise into practice to fully realise the potential of smart mobility solutions.
A good and smart use of technology can help us address some of the most pressing urban challenges we face today, such as congestion and pollution. However, in isolation, technology will only take us so far. The only way to tackle urban challenges and build urban resilience is through strategic planning and design. And this is reflected in the way we work at DG Cities. We have areas of specialism in smart mobility, digital connectivity and community engagement but we pride ourselves on taking a “whole-city” approach to our work, considering the interactions and interplays that exist in any urban environment.
Notwithstanding all the new tools and technologies for shaping and managing our cities, good and integrated urban design is the most powerful tool to increase the productivity, inclusivity, sustainability, liveability and resilience of our built environments.
Are you planning a major urban innovation or development project? We can help you ensure it seamlessly integrates into the community and fulfills the needs of the city. To find out more, drop us a line at info@dgcities.com.