Networked City

An event in Camden last week showed what volunteers from the local community, and a locally-based company, can do together to address digital inclusion and isolation. The local volunteers have made Belsize library a community hub, following cuts in staffing. The eight company volunteers were from Dentsu Aegis Network, a global digital agency. The event … Continue reading “Over 60s in Camden confront digital exclusion in their community hub – with help from a local, global business”

London’s organisation for older people recommends the Mayor’s Smart City plan should address five key themes for digital inclusion: help in developing skills; training and research; co-designing digital services; connectivity and security; and transport services. The detailed recommendations from Positive Ageing in London follow from discussion at their conference last month. I wondered then whether … Continue reading “Older people need support from the @MayorofLondon to ensure #digitalinclusion in #SmartLondon”

The Mayor’s draft London Plan should give more recognition to the need for community space, affordable housing for people in the community and voluntary sectors, and a stronger voice for Londoners in developing plans. These are among recommendations from London funders and the new Hub for London, based on discussion at last week’s event with … Continue reading “Give more recognition to community needs and Londoners’ voices in #LondonPlan, @londonFunders urge @MayorofLondon”

Lively discussion and networking at today’s meeting about London Plan social infrastructure left me with plenty of insights and one over-riding impression: no-one is looking in-the-round at the future of London’s communities. That’s frustrating – but also an opportunity for convening different interests to realise the idea of co-production originally promoted in The Way Ahead … Continue reading “Lots of plans affecting London civil society – now we need someone to join them up for #TheWayAhead and @MayorofLondon”

City Hall have launched a “listening exercise” to help the Chief Digital Officer Theo Blackwell and his Board fulfil the Mayor’s aim to make London the world’s leading Smart City. Currently Bristol is judged to be in the lead with Manchester and Birmingham third and fourth. The Huawei UK Smart Cities Index rankings were calculated … Continue reading “Why Smart City London should be a #NetworkedCity: participatory, sharing, inclusive and accessible”

The main theme of the address from CEO Matthew Taylor at last night’s RSA AGM was Convening and Change – which further encourages me to think that the project a group of us pitched last week could contribute to the Society’s mission … and the RSA to ours. In summary, I suggested at an RSA … Continue reading “How we can apply @thersaorg vision of Convening and Change from @RSAMatthew to London’s civil society”