COMMUNITY
THE DIGITAL HIGH STREET
INTRODUCTION TO THE EBOOK SERIES
“KPMG is excited to be working together with Tech London Advocates/Global Tech Advocates on the launch of this eBook series focusing on the tech-enabled communities of the future. There is a great opportunity for the UK to combine new digital
infrastructures with the repurposing of traditional infrastructure to enable a more interconnected world. Building a sustainable and inclusive environment that allows everyone to succeed and grow is absolutely crucial in the fast changing
digital environment that we now live in. We hope that the perspectives that this series brings from sectors such as retail, mobility, smart public space and community bring to life the opportunities available across the UK to our communities
of the future.”
Chris Hearld, Head of Regions, KPMG LLP
by Natasha Terinova - Programme Director , REACH UK / Second Century Ventures
It was my genuine pleasure to work with TLA working groups and other partners to bring to life the Digital High Street eBook series, and to curate this final piece, on Community.
I believe that every business can make a positive impact on a specific group of people, a community. So how can we improve the ‘S’ in ESG through community?
Prior to joining my current organisation, REACH UK, a venture capital backed technology scale-up accelerator, I spent 5 years working in the field of environmental sustainability. This has carried toward into my current work. Every day, I refer to ESG, mainly talking to technology and traditional real estate companies and other stakeholders about climate goals.
Out of the three ESG pillars, the Social one probably has the least consensus on how to measure and to evaluate it. At the same time, the global pandemic has cemented its importance. In this eBook I have curated a collection of vlogs and blogs from government, academia, tech innovators and corporate executives, covering multiple dimensions of Social.
While writing this foreword I researched academic articles about community, looking through dozens of different definitions, and l ended up a little confused. The term ‘Community’ has been appropriated by sales, marketing and advertising since it appeals to the heart, to allude to more than transactional behaviour, and the dictionary definition is simply outdated since it primarily is based on shared location.
Bill Bishop, the author of “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart” puts it brilliantly - “It used to be that
people were born as part of a community, and had to find their place as individuals. Now people are born as individuals, and have to find their community.”
To Bill’s vision, I would add that technology has a massive role to play! Data and technology are already ushering in a new era of citizen-centric government; digital infrastructure brings local communities together; the services are digitised to deliver better results for citizens and communities; new digital approaches are developed to improve service delivery in the areas of health, economic development, safety, and justice; best practices are codified and shared for others to adapt and learn, this lay the groundwork for more technology centric and data-driven practices.
The themes covered in this book echo this framing, and include pieces on local economy, community driven technology, community engagement, accessibility and inclusion, ethical data use, community driven technology, NHS & healthcare, and future of workspace. As the final book in the TLA series, it brings together the rest of themes in the series - Retail Experience, Mobility and Smart Public Space. It presents ideas, opinions, practices and evidence on the future of our communities and the roles of communities for businesses.
So, after working as a part of an amazing working group as well as contributors to this eBook series, having done research on community and what it means, if you ask me now what ‘Community’ is, this is my answer:
It is togetherness.
by Martha Grekos - Barrister, Martha Grekos Legal Consultancy Limited
Cities should work for everyone. Everyone living in a city should have access to essential urban services within a 15 minutes walk or bicycle ride from their home. A good place to live, work and spend time where the essentials of daily life are within a gentle 15-minute walk or cycle ride rather than a drive away: that’s the fundamental principle of the 15-minute city concept.
Living through lockdowns has made many Londoners more aware of the lack of access to green spaces, distance to essential amenities such as shops, and the need for better pedestrian and cycling options. When we also add that more people are now working from home and making use of local shops and services, our local cities have even greater potential to become the heroes of sustainable living.
It wasn’t until the turn of the 21st century that developers began to invest in creating brand-new urban villages in central London locations like King’s Cross and Paddington, both previously neglected neighbourhoods blighted by proximity to major transport interchanges. But we do not need such major regeneration to make our local cities sustainable. Small interventions, such as more greenery or improved walkability, can have a profound impact on a city’s resilience.
This duty now falls onto the urban planners. It is access, not mobility, that should guide urban planning decisions. Planners must create more green spaces and play spaces in our residential areas. Even rewilding projects and creating parklets and maximising the opportunity for play (e.g. playful bus stops or reusing existing infrastructure after hours) can provide some respite from grey concrete and tarmac.This not only improves people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing but it also helps to make cities more resilient by providing natural flood defences, creating cleaner air and reusing current infrastructure. Planners must also make sure that public transport is not simply replaced with cars, but instead improve the city’s walkability and cycle lanes. If we build in higher levels of walking and cycling, London communities can take a vital step towards delivering the zero carbon goals that many boroughs have signed up to as part of declaring a Climate Emergency. Introducing trees to provide shade and amenities such as more benches and public toilets can also make a huge difference. All this not only helps reduce air pollution, but a more walkable neighbourhood also creates a sense of community, building ties between neighbours.
The pandemic has shown the interdependencies of hyper-local living, place-based solutions, and social and economic resilience. Polycentric cities could help regenerate high streets and repurpose monocultural zones that currently have a singular function, normally based around office hours. They would need to provide multifunctional shared spaces that complement flexible lifestyles and providing digital connectivity that stimulates local productivity. This, coupled with road reallocations, better street space and greater provision for active travel, would support a more inclusive, community-focused economy.
There is also the idea of “digital twins” which are online cities that mirror our physical places and can be used to simulate different scenarios, such as extreme weather, and fully understand the impact of different planning decisions on peoples’ lives. By using digital twins, we can make sure that developments are sustainable, giving us the ability to see the impact of interventions like rewilding, pedestrianisation and creating multi-use spaces from existing infrastructure.
The policy landscape is changing as decision makers and advocates become more aware of all of the above and start to use more frequently digital technology to their advantage. I believe that cities are resilient and flexible and London’s urban planners must use 2021 to make sure our city is fit for many futures.
by Max Farrell - Founder & CEO, LDN Collective
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Watch the full length video here: https://youtu.be/ok_NwKt_LUU
by Anthony Impey MBE - CEO, Be the Business
Too often, technology is said to undermine rather than strengthen community ties. The long-standing narrative is one of traditional local businesses being displaced by global digital giants, hollowing out local communities in the process.
However, this is evidence that something very different is happening, which has only been accelerated by the restrictions on movement and the physical distancing requirements brought on by the pandemic.
Small- and medium-sized businesses of every type have been forced to rethink and reshape their business models over the last 18 months. For a great many, this necessitated the use of technology. The requirement to find ways to keep businesses trading and keep serving customers has led to wave of technology adoption across the UK.
This tech transformation of the UK’s small business community has been seen throughout sectors and regions. Research Be the Business conducted in partnership with The Open University has shown that Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of collaboration and e-commerce software in more than half (54%) of all small businesses.
It also appears that this tech transformation will be permanent: our research tells us that of the business leaders who adopted new technology or accelerated its use due to Covid-19, at least 85 per cent plan to continue using it at the same level once restrictions are fully lifted. The pandemic has made business leaders more likely to invest in digital skills development, both for themselves and their employees.
This transformation has taken place on our customers’ side too. Again, out of necessity, e-commerce has been forced on large segments of the population and, while not for all, a great many will continue to use it in their day-to-day and not go back to old habits. They will also have developed new expectations in terms of digital interaction and remote fulfilment.
There was a time when I would have been concerned at this shift; worried that it would be a catalyst for yet more digital displacement of small businesses and community services. However, from what I’ve seen from our small business community over the past 18 months, I’m convinced this is a massive opportunity - perhaps even a lifeline - for some businesses and communities.
The enforced move to digital has enabled businesses to not only survive the pandemic, but to build new capabilities and create new services to allow them to compete with digital giants. They compete not in spite of their small scale and local focus, but because of it. Tech has enabled traditional businesses to tap into local digital communities. Consumers who want a less generic customer experience, more tailored service, specific local products, or who just want to do business in their community are now shopping digitally, locally. I’ve seen some extraordinary examples of this phenomenon amongst some of the small businesses that work with us at Be the Business - local pubs, hardware stores, small manufacturers, and food businesses doubling and tripling their trade by using to tech to reach local customers.
Technology is proving to be ‘the great leveller’, making it possible for small businesses to compete locally with global giants and win. This has always been the promise that technology has offered. The embracing of tech by small businesses and consumers over the course of the pandemic has turned this promise into reality. What was perceived as the biggest threat to the high street may in fact be the very thing that saves it.
by Linda Chandler- Smart Cities Advisor, Hyperlocal Cities Ltd
I’m looking out over the marketplace. It’s a glorious day in St Albans - definitely a day for grabbing a sandwich from Gail’s and taking a walk by the Abbey. The WorkLocal hub is busy today – I guess a lot of folks were thinking the same thing,
working near to home and enjoying the good weather.
The WorkLocal St Albans hub is located on the high street – it’s a bright airy space with a great Community Manager and a good vibe. It operates on a freemium model with a large area for casual coworking and bookable desks available on a pay-as-you-go
basis. You can help yourself to hot drinks, but there are plenty of coffee shops around if you want to grab a barista brew once in a while. My coworkers are a mix of freelancers, small businesses, those that work for corporates with a
head office in London as well as full-time parents, job seekers, students and retirees. They are largely from the local community, but we also get our share of international visitors dropping in. This particular hub is a collaboration
between the council, a large tech company and a well-known high street retailer. It’s not the only coworking provision – there is a great selection of other offers, depending on your need and budget. The public service ethos of WorkLocal
has meant that it’s trusted by the community – we benefit from some volunteer technical roles that are able to help local residents navigate an increasing complex technical life. I mean, when your GP prescribes you an app or a wearable
and you don’t know what that is, where else would you go for help?
It’s worth reflecting on the journey we’ve been on to get here. What seems very commonplace now – with many knowledge workers benefitting from a mix of home working, near to home working and central office – was a long haul. As technology
– both devices and good connectivity - started to become an enabler of remote work more than two decades ago, there have been several movements around flexible working, coworking, organisational design and change management all working
independently. The first inklings of this at scale in the UK were with the London 2012 Olympics where workers were encouraged to keep out of the capital for 6 weeks to free up capacity on the transport network for Olympic visitors. Slow
progress was made in many domains for 8 years or so, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 global pandemic hit that we collectively conducted the world’s biggest working from home experiment. So while that accelerated the remote working trend,
the circumstances were less than ideal and it’s taken much effort in all of those connected domains above for us to arrive at the ‘new normal’ as it was once hailed.
Change is hard and it’s taken an Olympics and a pandemic to normalise this way of working at scale.
That said, it’s hard to believe looking back that we ever commuted 5 days a week into cities. It’s not just about wasted time, it’s about being able to spend more time and money in our communities. It’s about recognising digital as a ‘mode’
of transportation. There will always be a need for face-to-face collaboration, but many are now empowered to make decisions about where they work which is ultimately better for them and better for the planet. Decoupling proximity to the
office and the concept of productive work has enabled more of a levelling up agenda in the UK which has gone someway to narrowing the digital divide.
So, if time travel ever becomes a thing in the future and you happen to be reading this in 2021, get in touch and join us on the journey to WorkLocal!
by David Shrier - Professor of Practice, Imperial College Business School
The world is a buzz with the notion of digital enabled urban environments. As we begin to look forward past the worst of the Covid pandemic, we think about ways in which cities can reinvent themselves. The new urban environment is more local, more integrated, and more digitally connected.
With this, we also see more links across different kinds of technology systems. Digital advertising needs to understand who consumers are to tailor itself. Hybrid commerce solutions that bring website and storefront together require knowledge about shopping patterns. Safer neighborhoods leverage facial recognition and other technology.
It’s Personal
All these systems require personal data and security for personal data. Yet even if you can convince a consumer to consent in (viz. GDPR) to your exciting flash sale website, what are the ethics of using this personal data? Just because you are allowed to do something, what considerations should you put around whether or not you should do something?
Cambridge Analytica shows us the dangers of unfettered data manipulation of consumers. While technically they had permission, or at least Facebook did, they also without question did irreparable harm to the free function of society with their abuse of data and artificial intelligence. And indeed, former Facebook President Sean Parker confesses they exploited ‘a vulnerability in human psychology’; former VP Chamath Palihapitiya regrets ‘tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works’.
A Question of Trust
For the truly Smart High Street, we want individual consumers to actively and willingly contribute information, so they can participate in a data commons that helps provide them benefits. Those benefits could include more convenient shopping, or more exciting social events, or a safer neighborhood.
To make these contributions, to provide informed consent to contribute data, it will come down to trust. In this, local merchants with a long-standing history are well-positioned because of their relationships in the community to engage in a trusted relationship in the digital environment. Aggregating data from everyone who lives in the area can form a powerful data block, that a new kind of organization known as a data fiduciary can help mediate and manage.
The arrow of progress points in only one direction. We have accepted digital technologies into our lives, and the digitally connected High Street can facilitate delivering the benefits of these technologies to the community in a personal,
engaged, and value-added fashion. It is the long-standing trust of the local store that can provide a substrate for building community of the future.
David Shrier is a Professor of Practice with Imperial College Business School, where he helps lead the Centre for Digital Transformation.
To create a responsible, resilient, and regenerative future
by Menno Lammers - Founder, Proptech for good
Doing less bad is not enough - the real estate industry needs to move beyond sustainability! It needs a global force – a community that innovates and invests in shaping the built environment to become responsible, resilient and regenerative - a community for good.
Trees do not grow to the sky, there are limits to growth. That’s life. We all know that. Unfortunately, in the business world a different adage prevails. The adage of unlimited economic growth. This growth has brought us prosperity, but it has been achieved in a degenerative way. A culture has emerged competition, fragmented approach, profit focus above everything, disconnection with nature and an exclusive workforce.
The real estate industry is facing growing societal challenges. Challenges that processes cannot solve with traditional thinking because they transcend industries and national borders. Challenges like carbon emissions, climate change, urbanization, education gap, unhealthy air, micro plastics, resources scarcity. Meanwhile, market demands change, new players enter the built environment and new laws & regulations are introduced. We try to solve symptoms and isolated parts with digital technology to cling the degenerative real estate culture. But doing less bad is not enough to create a future proof environment for everyone. The traditional real estate industry is losing fitness for purpose.
The world’s greatest societal challenges can be solved by businesses. The business community can live well by doing good, and this is what inspired the idea behind creating PropTech for Good Alliance. PropTech for Good empowers the global business community to take actions that are better for the world, good for business, and life-changing for people. It drives positive change and helps real estate companies to become fit for purpose.
PropTech for Good was joined by 36 regional proptech associations and partners with top event organisers all over the world. It is the place where CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and sustainability leaders from all around the world come together to forge meaningful collaborations, exchange knowledge and be inspired to create a responsible, resilient and regenerative environment. More and more real estate and technology companies are joining the PropTech for Good alliance with a single aim to create a future-proof environment together.
The transition to a responsible, resilient, regenerative future is not about who has the most profitable business case. It’s about creating a future for current and future generations together. The real estate industry can move beyond sustainability. Let’s join forces. Let us increase our positive impact together as a community for Good.
by Warrick Swift - Commercial Director, Property Inspect
Technology has a profound impact in our daily lives and brings businesses closer to communities in a positive way. The adoption of technology over the past 18 months has been accelerated in all industries due to the impact of the pandemic, worldwide.
Whether it's sustainable technology, smart building technology, technology for good, data science or software that directly impacts societies, all have had positive changes to the way in which people connect, work, collaborate or help communities or the environment, for the better.
Some of the issues many countries are being faced with are turning to technology to help them streamline processes and make systems more efficient.
Homelessness is unfortunately not a new issue, but it is a crisis that has been growing steadily for decades. There are many factors contributing to the problem – lack of affordable housing and wage inequality that affects the ability of people to live and work in the same place and due to the pandemic, this has had increased levels of effects on families and communities.
In the US, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded millions in Continuum of Care (CoC) grants to more than 1,200 local homeless housing and service programs across the United States and Puerto Rico. CoC grants in its initiative to end homelessness in the United States. The grants also build upon $1.6 billion in funding awarded by HUD in a first round of funding in March 2021.
Part of the HUD funding process includes standardised inspections of the property, but even before this is organised; municipalities need the correct documentation in place to be able to allocate funding. Once a property was identified, it had been taking as much as 90 days to move a property through the manual systems. With hand-written notes and individual pictures to take and store; this was a very protracted process.
With inspectors and property managers able to rethink and take ownership of the Inspection processes; instead of the months long property ‘onboarding’ process which has been cut in half and effectively streamlined by using technology software solutions provided by Property Inspect. This has resulted in saving weeks of administration with an average of just 30 days to complete the documentation.
Turning to digitalisation and technology adoption ensured the ability to conduct inspections remotely by live video, saving the need to travel to different locations and ultimately gaining access to more properties faster and re-housing those in need, faster.
We are now seeing our technology and software expand into other areas of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development such as The Emergency Rental Assistance program, to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Eviction Prevention Program which saves more than 800 households each year from the trauma of homelessness — keeping them in their own homes and out of the shelter system.
Find out more about HUD Rapid Re-housing and Property Inspect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CNiMXjhIek
by Bridget Wilkins - Community Engagement & ESG, Built-ID
As we re-emerge back onto local high streets post pandemic, it’s an opportune time to reflect on what environmental impact consumer activity produces both on the streets and behind the scenes and, further, what we can do to combat it through smart tech and even smarter eco-waste solutions.
According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Group, 2021) the UK produces more than 10.2 million tonnes of food waste each year, 2.1m of which is generated in London alone and is equivalent in CO2 emissions of 55,000 cars on the road per year. Food waste is a major contributor to our carbon footprint and whilst the scale of impact may seem insurmountable on a personal level, exciting projects like Silas Yard show how we can all contribute to offset its impact.
In an era where sustainable solutions are often over-debated and over-designed, the evolution of Silas Yard, as an innovative eco-waste solution for London and Built-ID’s involvement as their digital engagement is refreshingly simple and spontaneous.
Silas Yard started as a conversation between neighbors located just off Columbia Road in East London, within the Dorset Estate which provides over 2,500 homes for the local neighbourhood and is named after a group of agricultural pioneers and activists from 1834.
The mission of Silas Yard is to change the consumer mindset around food waste, so that it can become a resource from both an environmental and human/social capital perspective by creating a circular food economy rooted in urban soil regeneration and neighbourhood activism.
The initial meeting with this team was somewhat serendipitous for Built-ID who I met when they asked me, as a local consumer to complete their online survey.
After reviewing the 6+ minute online form with a very poor UX/UI, I started talking about Give My and it quickly evolved from there, spending subsequent Sunday afternoons around their kitchen tables looking at ways we could help improve the digital experience and outcome. What emerged was an opportunity to use Give My View community engagement platform to inform their strategy, generate community advocacy and validate business case and funding from Tower Hamlets and in doing so bring together the local resident community, surrounding residents and wider Columbia Road traders and visitors.
As part of Built-ID’s pro bono programme, we launched digital consultation and within a week had generated more than 350 votes of support but more importantly, over 130 people who came forward to said how they want to be involved and support this project to transform eco-waste, foster community spirit and create meaningful change.
By using digital technology to connect communities across, behind and beyond the high streets, we were able to not only ensure inclusive and diverse representation of the wider neighbourhood but accelerate the pace of change and outcome for this important sustainability pilot for London and UK high streets.
Whilst this year’s crop is yet to be harvested, we are already seeing the seeds of change sprout exciting outcomes with the associated Silas restaurant officially launching last week in partnership with Wildfarmed where some of London’s most progressive chefs showcased how to use sustainable ingredients for over 1,500 people across ‘5 Nights in July’ campaign.
This case study is a great example of how we can combine technology, climate action and spirit of localism to create sustainable regenerative high streets that give back as much as they take.
by Chris Pawlik - CEO, EPR^2
By 2030, the Commercial Real Estate industry will be the foundation and cornerstone of a clean grid that will power the 21st Century, global economy.
An acceleration of trends, including the adoption rate of new technologies within the commercial real estate industry, indicates that, in less than ten years, every property and every building will not only be ‘net zero’, but will be a ‘net
generator’ of clean, renewable electricity. Properties of all types – residential, multi-family, office, retail, hospitality, industrial, etc. – will be nodes in a distributed micro-grid. Properties will be capable of interacting with
the surrounding built environment through a mesh network that will include other distributed energy resources as well as electric vehicles. The beauty of this system is that the nodes of the clean grid (i.e. properties) will be technology
agnostic and capable of controlling distributed energy resources in a way that can optimize overall main grid performance. Done right, this mesh network of distributed energy resources will provide communities and businesses resiliency
through the ability to disconnect from the main grid to enable day-to-day activities and operations in ‘island-mode’, when needed. That said, the built environment is always poised for disruptive and transformative change. The real estate
industry holds the keys to leading this energy evolution while positively impacting the economy and environment, both locally and globally.
Commercial Real Estate Owners (‘CRE Owners’), in particular, are ideally positioned to provide investors, installers, and innovators a footprint and platform to integrate cleantech projects that will make buildings healthier, more efficient,
and powered with on-site, clean electricity. In general, CRE Owners, tenants, investors, and lenders are all in favor of clean energy, micro-infrastructure, and building improvements as sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance
(‘ESG’) considerations are becoming standard in business decision-making. These types of investments have a positive impact on local jobs as well as community, economic, and grid resiliency. With that in mind, a subset of CRE Owners will
finance these investments through traditional CapEx financing methods but, since cleantech is a non-core business function, a majority of CRE Owners will take advantage of various third-party development, investment, or financing options.
Historically, innovation in real property has been fundamental to the development of the global economy and has unleashed trillions of dollars of wealth. Mineral, timber, and water rights are fundamental to the wealth of nations. Oil and gas
rights have been the cornerstone of powering the twentieth century global economy. Air rights, billboard rights, and cell tower rights have given rise to modern urban cities, facilitating growth in the commercial airline industry, in art
and advertising, and in the telecommunications industry. These real property innovations made it possible for businesses to finance the development of global industries. Today and again, the real estate industry is at the nexus of innovation
in the real economy as cleantech provides another avenue for CRE Owners to unlock property value from energy rights on existing buildings and properties.
To this end, CRE Owners are developing solar, storage, and other cleantech on existing buildings to increase property value through lower electricity costs and enhancing leasing activities with on-site ESG considerations. This will continue
and evolve as real estate, finance, and energy industry stakeholders are aligned in their sustainability and ESG goals. Over the coming years, CRE Owners will have to develop their energy rights strategy and utilize a platform that aligns
stakeholder interests on both the property-level and project-level. When this happens at scale, the real estate industry will accelerate cleantech deployment and affect the change needed to positively impact the economy and environment,
both locally and globally.
So, how much are your energy rights worth?
Find out more - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xF-_YU0ASY
by Adam Hawksbee - Head of Policy & Programme Mgt - West Midlands Combined Authority
Cities are in their own right, real-time systems made up of several moving parts. A ‘Smart City’ is a city that uses technology enabled solutions across a variety of sectors to address key urban challenges. A big part of the technology in Smart Cities is the use of an intelligent network of connected objects and machines that transmit data using wireless technology, such as 5G.
Right now, there are great opportunities in the West Midlands and the rest of the UK to develop live solutions using 5G technology in order to make sure that are Smart Cities are safe and successful.
With an estimated global infrastructure investment of £25 trillion required over the next 20 years to ensure sustainable urban futures, there’s a huge need for a service or set of services where smart city technology can make a genuine and measurable difference to the city experience.
In transport, taking a look at three of the largest and most successful cities in the UK in the form of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry – they, like many others, suffer from congestion, pollution and lack of investment in road infrastructure that hasn’t kept pace with the rate of urbanisation.
Enabling 5G trials and solutions can make a real impact in moving forward. Whether it’s traffic management through sensors collecting images and sent to a real-time traffic management centre, or social distancing to encourage people safely back on public transport; there’s a whole range of outcomes to get cities moving and enable them to be more productive.
This is why, in partnership with 5PRING and Local Authorities across the West Midlands, we launched our ‘Smart Cities’ challenge. The challenge is providing the opportunity for businesses in the region to test, trial and apply 5G Smart Cities solutions in a live testbed environment. The trials form a large part of the 5G learnings and deployment in the region.
Through the programme, organisations are harnessing the power of a 5G private network to create cutting-edge Smart City solutions, with challenge areas in health and social care, public services, public safety, social and events and transport and pollution. Participants are exploring 5G-enabled technology such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and edge computing. We look forward to sharing their findings later in the year.
Through our partnership with 5PRING, this challenge helps us to understand the potential that 5G has to revolutionise our future cities. 5PRING are hosting a range of programmes available to support start-ups and scale-ups with innovative technology solutions. In addition, WM5G are testing, proving and scaling new 5G services in key sectors such as transport, manufacturing, health & social care; areas where the West Midlands has key strengths and where 5G can make a difference in transforming productivity. For more information, please visit www.wm5g.org.uk and 5pring.org.
by Nicky Wightman – Director of Emerging Trends, Savills (UK) Ltd
The games industry is a longstanding part of the creative landscape but its growth and rise to cultural prominence in recent years is hard to ignore.
For those who love games it is here, in the digital universe, that friendships are built, skills are honed, quests attempted, and experiences shared.
The publicity generated by esports, multiplayer video games played competitively online or offline, has been part of the story. The 2019 Fortnite World Cup held in New York, was perhaps the moment when the world woke up to esports. With a heady combination of teams, players and streamers, this is a sector attracting huge audiences. Popularity with younger, digital and global audiences has seen increasing interest from non-endemic brands, led by the automotive and F+B sector.
For the esports fan community there is an opportunity to engage online or in more usual times, to attend a physical event. Typically played out over a number of days, a tournament has the ability to attract significant footfall and act as a catalyst for an experience centred around games culture.
Sometimes likened to the experience of a festival or a theme park, there has been increasing interest in the type of spaces which support these activations and events.
Whilst from an architectural perspective it is tempting to focus on the design of large-scale stadia which might house a variety of immersive entertainment genres, there is a good argument for more focus on how to engage and support the gaming community at a small scale and local level. This is a diverse community - inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome are clearly fundamental.
Of course, over the last year industries which typically rely on bringing people together in physical spaces have suffered greatly and we have seen a sharp acceleration in digital engagement. For the music industry the closure of venues and cancellation of festivals left artists and fans looking for new ways to connect. Even before the pandemic the world of gaming had increasingly become the go to place for cutting edge artists focused on groundbreaking content and fan engagement. A growing number of artists are noticing the creative freshness, which collaborating with the games industry facilitates. For fan communities this is an opportunity for a shared collective experience which mirrors the anticipation and thrill of a live event.
The rise of the phygital is also evident within the fashion industry and we can see once again the impact that games are having on how this sector operates. Collaborations such as between Louis Vuitton with Riot Games provide a sense of the
significance which luxury brands attach to gaming culture and audiences. The 2021 Balenciaga collection in the form of a game, Afterworld-The Age of Tomorrow, takes this to a new level in terms of fashion industry adoption.
Whilst there are limitless conversations to be had about the disruption occurring and creative effects, it is important not to forget the implications for learning and jobs. From computing courses at Abertay, to the rise in esports courses
and collegiate esports teams, to digital fashion, we are witnessing a whole new landscape of skills. Universities and colleges seem likely to be an important part of the gaming and esports eco system and will be key to building the necessary
talent pool.
by Manoj Varsani - Founder & CEO, Hammock & SOS Supplies
Our approach at Hammock, the property finance platform for landlords, is technology-first: we created our company to bring the best of Fintech to the property sector. However, our passion for technology originates from a deeper belief: technology can and should be used for good. We are advocates for an active commitment from tech companies to have a positive impact on society.
This ethos is shared by all our employees, and it is apparent in how we manage our company: we are taking the first steps towards the B Corp accreditation, and we collaborate with various charities and organisations. The farthest-reaching manifestation of our ethos to date has been the creation, as the COVID-19 outbreak hit the UK, of SOS Supplies.
In March 2020 our CEO, Manoj Varsani, caught an early signal of the difficulties that would soon arise with sourcing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Harrow Carers, a charity he is Chairman of, was struggling to find PPE for their key workers and he realised that their challenge must have been a symptom of a national problem and not just a local one. Most suppliers were either depleted of stock or they were profiteering from the situation.
At Hammock, we took immediate action. On a Friday night, we all got involved to bring our CEO’s idea to life: an initiative called SOS Supplies (sos-supplies.com) to help charities and organisations source PPE available for fast delivery at fair prices (the SOS Supplies service was free of charge, provided on a strictly voluntary basis). We found immediate support from journalists who spread the word about us and we gained traction from day one. In the following days, as we were running SOS Supplies alongside our full-time jobs, we recruited more than 20 volunteers to help us manage the ever-increasing demand for our services. We worked with charities and organisations of all sizes across the UK, from hospital and NHS practices to national organisations like Sue Ryder, FareShare and Marie Curie as well as many small local initiatives.
In less than 3 months we helped more than 250 companies to source over a million pieces of PPE at fair prices, mostly shipped within one day. Some of our suppliers even contributed by donating items. SOS Supplies represents a model of grassroots initiative fully powered by community engagement through technology. The result was an open marketplace that allowed speed of execution, together with unlimited potential to scale and a high level of transparency in all transactions. We hope to see more initiatives like SOS Supplies emerge as communities leverage the power of technology to come together and do good.
by Charlotte Cuenot - Senior Policy Development Manager, UKActive
The high street is currently defined as “the traditional site for most shops, banks and other businesses”. However, mounting evidence shows this model is becoming increasingly unsuccessful and unsustainable, particularly in the aftermath of
COVID-19. This offers communities, businesses and local councils a unique chance to reinvent their high streets, and think about the ways in which these central community hubs can place a greater focus on people and locales.
At ukactive, we view high streets as important spaces to cultivate community, support public health outcomes, boost local economies and combat anti-social behaviour.
As the leading representative body for the physical activity sector, we also believe the high street is uniquely placed to influence the nation’s activity levels and support people to make healthier lifestyle choices.
In the UK, people in the least deprived areas can expect to live approximately 19 more years in good health than those in the most deprived areas. These inequalities in health are exacting a huge bill on both our national health service and
the wider economy, costing tax-payers over £100 billion every year. Supporting people to lead healthier lifestyles could engender a substantial decline in chronic conditions and alleviate the pressures of ill-health on our public finances,
particularly in the context of renewed austerity.
Getting people more physically active is a great place to start. Speaking at a ukactive event, Sir Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England said, “if [physical activity] could be packaged into a pill, it would be a pharmaceutical blockbuster”.
Regular exercise can support the prevention of up to 20 chronic conditions including type-II diabetes, breast cancer, as well as depression, stress and anxiety, generating over £4.1 billion in healthcare savings every year. Government
figures also show physical activity generates £72 billion in social value and contributes £13.2 billion to the national economy every year.
Yet over four in 10 adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. In lower socio-economic groups, inactivity has risen by nearly 8 percent as a result of the pandemic, and there have also been notable drops in activity levels
for children, students and young professionals. As we come out of the COVID-19 crisis, we have unique opportunity to place physical activity at the heart of our built environment to support the mitigation of health inequalities and reduce
their cost on the economy.
Given its role as a central hub for local communities, the high street is an important component of our built environment with the potential to influence behaviour and lifestyle choices. Place-makers should therefore ensure high streets contain
activities which are both conducive to positive public health outcomes and accessible to people of all ages, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds. These could include retail spaces which offer healthy food and beverage options, parks
which feature walking and cycling infrastructure, and leisure centres which provide healthcare services and advice.
Demand for health-promoting offers has never been greater. Consumer surveys show over 50 percent of adults have adopted a healthier lifestyle in the aftermath of the pandemic, dedicating more time and income to activities which support their
health and wellbeing. There are many ways in which high streets can capitalise on this eagerness to make and access healthier choices. Place-makers need only think about how health-driven offers can become more visible and accessible to
high street visitors.
by May Al Karooni - Founder, Globechain
"I envision a world without waste; through Globechain the ESG Reuse Marketplace, we give items a new life, make an impact in communities and generate ESG data on the impact of the item."
Upcycled chairs and tables used in a community café.
by University of Oxford, Future of Real Estate Initiative
Work from home and remote working policies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the rollout of the future of work, enabled by technological innovation.
Lockdowns dismantled the traditional workplace paradigm, characterised by a daily commute to offices in city centres and in-person interactions amongst employees. This was immediately replaced by remote working, which was enabled by a rapid adoption of technologies such as videoconferencing, cloud platforms, virtual desktops, etc. Such shift is expected to have long-term implications on the future of offices, with respect to (i) demand for office space, (ii) design of office space with emphasis on collaboration and (iii) location of offices and potential decentralization trends.
Open plan offices have become the new normal. Their popularity first began to grow in the early 2000s, among tech companies and then accelerated particularly in the last decade across different sectors, as we saw a general transition from private/partitioned office set-up to open-plan workspaces to enhance collaboration. It is widely expected that the focus on open interactions and collaboration will continue to be the cornerstone of workspace strategies in the post-COVID era – partly supported by the value proposition offered by coworking space providers, offering cost effective and flexible solutions, particularly attractive as multiple companies are testing flexible hybrid model set-up – with a further emphasis on shared spaces and amenities. The concept of office as a destination of purpose is accelerating: office as a special space offering a collaborative experience and superior engagement that is not available in the home office.
In addition to a reinforced emphasis on collaboration, other aspects to monitor include potential decentralization trends – the construct of a centralized headquarter office has been at least partially challenged by work from home policies. It is not unlikely the rise of multiple smaller satellite offices in key locations that will allow for more relationship building and impact in the surrounding community. Some of these smaller satellite offices could also be in sub-urban or rural areas, as opposed to centralized headquarters usually located in city centres. This would allow shorter commuting and a positive impact on employee wellbeing and satisfaction.
In correctly assessing the likelihood of such shifts and future trajectories, it is crucial to consider the related cost-savings of less space needed in more central location on the one hand and coordination costs and investment in necessary equipment on the other hand.
In the shift towards offices as dedicated space fostering collaboration and interactions, technological innovation will play a vital role. Both the focus on workplace productivity and the changing spatial demand patterns for office space favour large-scale adoption of digital technologies in commercial real estate. Digital technologies have an incredible potential in terms of positive impact on employees’ productivity, wellbeing and ultimately satisfaction, which are in turn deeply connected with the challenge of talent attraction and retention. On the other hand, flexible offices and co-working spaces equally require careful capacity control, booking systems, and smartphone apps to allocate workplaces on-demand.
While there is an open debate on multiple aspects of the future of work and implications on companies, employees and real estate segments, commercial real estate players and workspace providers have the opportunity to attract and retain tenants recognizing and investing in this new paradigm of work, particularly introducing design elements and amenities fostering knowledge exchange and interactions among colleagues.
by Justin Nicholls - Director, Fathom Architects
In early 2021, Fathom were invited to propose how redundant departments stores on UK high streets could be reimagined to better serve their neighbourhoods. Rapid growth of digital retail had drastically altered the function of high streets and the pre-pandemic monoculture of retail left many high streets struggling.
It was key that retail wasn’t replaced with another single purpose - a hybrid digital and physical experience was needed so different groups within society could engage with and benefit from the offer.
We devised an approach with community access to digital innovation and technology at its heart. From local schoolchildren to older adults, regional businesses, entrepreneurs and organisations, we looked at ways to encourage people back to their local high street. By offering access to digital innovation and complex technologies in town centres across the UK, our reactivation of department stores aims to level the playing field for opportunity.
Fathom’s vision for The Department for Digital Futures creates a framework of uses responsive to regional activity. Tech-enabled information is proposed to support a series of uses from GPS to inform efficient crop harvesting, AI to survey sustainable fishing locations and intelligence to harness power for future fleets of electric vehicles.
Digital capabilities combined with the large floorplates of department stores offer the opportunity to provide specialist facilities for schools, businesses and start-ups to learn, create and collaborate together. Recording studios, VR booths, 3D printers and rapid prototyping could all be accessible to support local innovation and skills.
Along with areas for flexible working, hands-on workshop space and access to technical experts ensure that problem solving and upskilling are available to a wide audience. This approach would help areas outside traditional innovation hotspots to keep up to speed with a fast-moving tech and digital landscape.
At basement level, sustainable last-mile logistics are supported with smart delivery lockers and tech-enabled changing facilities, so people can try items in a ‘better than home’ environment, explore options in a digital wardrobe and process returns on site – more efficient for consumers and companies. This on-site resource would reduce the amount of delivery vans on streets nearby and promote cleaner air in residential neighbourhoods.
Footfall generated by the technology and logistics hubs is sustained by an interactive ground floor created as a highly flexible series of spaces. Complementing retail, a curated programme of activity appeals to a broad local audience by hosting sports or gaming, art exhibitions, wellness programmes, music and theatre performances as well as pop up product launches and local residencies.
Street and roof levels offer indoor and outdoor restaurants and bars, encouraging people to dwell and socialise with friends as they work, shop or engage in activities. Biodiverse rooftop gardens, outdoor play areas and sporting facilities are tailored to local need.
The proposal supports the 15 Minute City concept, where a variety of needs are met within your immediate neighbourhood. By creating a balance of civic, education, commercial and social spaces, The Department for Digital Futures harnesses the power of digital technology and makes it accessible to all.
By Pippa Watmough - Founder and MD, Piggyback Property
Rebuilding the Fractured Community of Retail.
Community is a rather overused term in this day and age. The shiny “digital community” has replaced the much maligned “social network”. “Community spirit” - revived by the pandemic - is exploited in every possible guise yet the creation of a functional, longstanding community is no mean feat.
For a community to be successful, it needs active participation from its members; by those serving and those being served. A community is an interactive beast that requires drive and direction toward a common purpose, otherwise it is simply another straw man tottering over the buzzword abyss.
The retail sector has a plethora of participants. There are landlords and tenants but also consumers and service providers all jumbled together. There should be little surprise that the sector is struggling in its current form where landlords and tenants seem poles apart. However, the singular pursuit of survival should now be enough to bring the protagonists of this ailing community into the same room.
Co-dependency or Community?
The critical issue for both landlords and tenants is cashflow; from consumer to tenant to landlord. If we assume that this is the case, then both the landlord and the tenant have a shared goal; consumer spending. If the landlord can help the tenant increase its revenues then the tenant can pay more rent to the landlord, so a further common goal of tenant success is found.
The relationship is symbiotic. It seems the problem is that the landlord and tenant do not feel a commonality of purpose.
The tenant sees the rent as coming off his bottom line and the landlord sees the tenant as an assessable cashflow risk. If the tenant is struggling, there is heightened pressure that the landlord might pull the plug. If he does not, there is increased risk of a CVA preventing him achieving the rental return required. Conversely, if the tenant is successful, then the landlord receives nothing more than the original rent. Whilst there is a common purpose, the directional pull of the current structure is intrinsically flawed.
Rebuilding the Community
It helps to revisit the heart of the relationship between landlord and tenant and redefine it in more constructive terms. Consumers are a critical part of the retail community and generating footfall and consumer spending is vital for both landlord and tenant. The existing community needs to be rebuilt with the landlord taking a more active role, working with tenants to drive revenues and linking such increased cashflows back to rental charges. Additional costs of delivery can be offset through revenue-based service charges and/or more sophisticated profit related rental structures. Both parties could benefit from the use of digital community platforms to unite and connect with consumers.
As we walk blinking into the light of a post-covid world straight towards the nearest open shop, it is evident that we have missed the physicality of the retail experience. However, this alone is not enough to revive our beleaguered retail sector. We must create a community where landlords facilitate tenant success through relevant service provisions (including digital services, events, education and mentoring); and tenants bring innovation, interest and consumer spending. This emergent retail community must be more than another term of art, it must be derived from the collaboration of landlords and tenants to curate diverse and inclusive places where consumers can connect, learn and play.
by Stephen Birrell - Programme Officer ERDF, Scottish Cities Alliance
If there is ‘safety in numbers’, then Scottish cities are well positioned on the journey to being smart, sustainable, and resilient cities.
The cities and surrounding regions are home to 86% of Scotland’s population, and their history means they have a legacy of ‘city-fabric’ and the resource intensity that goes with that in terms of heating, lighting, consumption, travel and pollution.
However, by working as a collaborative community and participating in the 8th City ERDF programme, Scotland’s seven cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth, and Stirling are seeking to expand Smart City capabilities and deliver strategic priorities through improved engagement, integration of service delivery, and innovation.
Foundations for this work include a ‘Smart Cities Maturity Model’ self-assessment exercise and Investment Roadmap, commissioned by Scottish Government and the Scottish Cities Alliance (SCA).
The 8th City programme currently has 43 projects either completed or in delivery mode. Projects include Data, Smart Infrastructure, Smart Communities, and Smart Services, with activity across domains such as Energy, Mobility, Public Safety, and Waste.
This approach was facilitated by a changed structure to delivering European Structural and Investment Funds for the 2014-2020 Operational Programme, with a focus on multi-partner Operations within a wider Strategic Intervention.
Collectively these projects add up to an ambitious programme of open, scalable, replicable, and interoperable data and digital technology projects underpinned by a commitment to knowledge and learning exchange, mutual support, and sharing of assets.
As a community of practice (with formal governance arrangements and terms of reference, underpinned by local authority structures) as well as a community of interest (with a shared focus on city challenges and highlighting what ‘works’) the 8th City programme has evolved to better meet the needs of partners and stakeholders.
Examples of this collaborative activity includes:
Case studies provide a useful route for cities to share information and lessons learned and 8th City partners have produced around 60 to date;
ERDF programme guidance highlights that the Scottish Cities Alliance has a clear vision for how each of the seven cities can complement one another and become the 8th city - enabling connectivity and offering investors an entry point to a collection of cities at global scale and skills levels: Any city is all the Cities.
By Sam Szczurek - Innovation & Sustainability, TfL
By Sean Anstee - Exec Director for Advisory & PR, Cratus
By Mark Jenkinson - Director, Crystal Associates
Climate Change
The sixth and latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes for sombre reading.
Under a warming climate, sea levels around the world have been rising and are projected to continue to rise in the future. The projections of future sea level rise are critical for coastal planners and policymakers trying to understand and account for sea-level impacts on their communities. And of course, communities in cities around the world are potentially at risk.
In London alone, 1.3 million people are at risk from flooding of the Thames. This is compounded by Victorian infrastructure unfit to combat the increasing frequency of rising water and heavy downpours.
So how can we mitigate the impact of climate change and adapt how we live?
Living with and on the water
If you think of floating homes and communities, you may think of the Netherlands. One third of the Netherlands is currently situated either at sea level, or below it, and this is likely to worsen as sea levels are set to rise by over 1.3 metres in the next century and rivers flowing into the sea are also rising.
In addition to its infamous dykes and innovative approaches such as rerouting rivers, as part of the civic planning strategy, "Leven met water", planning rules are being adapted to allow floating communities to flourish.
By 2020, the total number of floating and amphibious homes was estimated at a several hundred in the Netherlands, despite some challenges around permissions, regulations, and cost of production.
But its not just the Netherlands. If you walk along the waterfront of Seattle, you are likely to see a community formed of floating homes. Around London you will also find floating homes, hotels, bars and restaurants.
So, what does the future hold and how can technology help?
The future of living?
As suitable land becomes increasingly scarce due to the rising risk of flooding, living on water will become more of a desirable option as we race to meet 2030 and 2050 targets.
The adoption of modular production techniques, can drive down the cost, reduce waste and speed up the roll-out of much needed homes and accommodation.
Incorporating clean renewable generation such as solar, wind and water-sourced heating and cooling creates places that meet Passivhaus or even Aktivhaus standards, achieving self-sufficiency while providing clean energy back into the grid or for local infrastructure on the water and on land.
Using sustainable materials, minimises the impact on the planet and provides comfortable places to live and work – places that people can be proud of, bringing a vibrancy to the local community. All this can be supported by the latest in PropTech to monitor and improve performance of the spaces from an energy and air quality perspective as well as providing access to tenant services, encouraging sustainable behaviours, and building strong resilient communities fit for the future.
So, what are you waiting for? Get on in! The future of living is blue!
You can read or download the eBooks here.
RETAIL EXPERIENCE
Retail accounts for 20% of high street businesses yet is often the focal point for coverage on the current state and future of our town centres. This e-book highlights the role of retail in high street ecosystems, how commercial and non-commercial experiences need to evolve, and the importance of technology in enabling the evolution of our high streets.
MOBILITY
How will we get people to places and things to people in 2030? Will people walk, cycle, take a shared autonomous ride, or even a drone? Will our streets be healthy, free from congestion and all amenities less than a minute away? This e-book attempts to answer these questions and raises a whole load more!
SMART PUBLIC SPACE
The traditional high street has focussed on physical assets:- retail property, hard infrastructure and street furniture. This e-book glimpses the future of Smart Public Space:- the criticality of digital infrastructure, the important role that data plays in helping us understand the places that we live and the need for blended, frictionless experiences that put the human at the centre.
This eBook Series was designed by www.alphapixa.com.
