In Greater Manchester, the council is looking to use the smart agenda as a way of transforming the way they deliver public services including health and social care. Here technology will help them connect with vulnerable residents in new ways, with the aim of enabling them to live independently rather than in council care.
Getting the most from smart systems requires a holistic approach, which synchronises the use of technology and data with a city’s strategic vision. In many cases issues cannot be solved by local government alone, and identifying successful solutions requires the collaboration of multiple parties including the end user, the data holders, technology manufacturers and specialists located within industry and universities.
The cities who are leading the smart agenda in the UK are already building these networks to allow them to foster innovation, access the skills and expertise they need and gain the required insights. The Bristol is Open project brings together the city council and the University of Bristol, while Milton Keynes is working with partners including the Open University, BT, Anglian Water and Community Action: MK.
But how do we go about changing wider public perceptions? I believe that getting communications right is one of the most crucial components of delivering a successful smart city. It goes without saying that you could have the best project in the world but if no one knows about it, then it will have no impact at all. And with the continued cuts in services, it is vital that councils are able to show the community the benefits of any spend, especially ones which have such positive impacts on a social and economic level.
At the conference we discussed whether we should refer to the term ‘smart city’ at all, because the word ‘smart’ is so synonymous with technological products. Think smart meters, smart watches and smart phones. Instead it was suggested that the term 'future' or 'resilient city' should be used, as this reflects what projects are trying to achieve.
However, these words are rather ambiguous and have little relevance to the average person on the street and their daily lives. I think to achieve success we need to stop using industry titles to describe approaches within the public domain and get better at articulating to the public what we are trying to achieve. To do this we need to use storytelling in a way that helps us to clearly link policy and goals to schemes and activities, showing how these impact and change residents’ daily lives for the better.
