Thoughts in the time of COVID-19

Thoughts in the time of COVID-19

When I first started typing this blog what I had intended to talk about was how we break down siloed thinking to look at the city more holistically, and consider the ultimate needs of its residents.

That’s something I could still easily write as, during this Covid-induced period of social distancing and isolation, I’m one of those people who is lucky enough to be able to take my work home, to a relatively safe and comfortable environment. I can continue to plough on in a virtual world; but there are others who, on a daily basis, are leaving their homes to go about their roles and try to keep the services we rely on, running.

Urban Innovation at the Front Line: March at DG Cities

Urban Innovation at the Front Line: March at DG Cities

March; well what can we say about the past month? 31 days where the world changed significantly, almost unrecognisably, and where we all started to adjust to a new, temporary “normal”.

This global pandemic has bought into sharper focus than ever before the value that technology can play in society: keeping us connected and the world turning. And while we have undoubtedly changed the way we are operating right now, March was still a busy month work wise and we felt it was important to stick to normal routines wherever possible, and share with you what we’ve been working on.

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Electric Vehicles: Some Positive News

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Electric Vehicles: Some Positive News

It is hard at the moment to think about anything other than COVID-19. It is impacting our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Here at DG Cities, we’re continuing to work on all of our projects (as much as is possible given the current circumstances), and while we know lockdown is essential, it’s not always enjoyable (despite what the positive yogis and Jamie Olivers of the world may say).

So in this blog, we will not discuss the very large elephant in the room. Instead, let us provide some respite from the general news, and provide a small fraction of positive news and advancements within one of the sectors we know best, mobility!

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Digitising Housing Repairs

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Digitising Housing Repairs

In our February review post, we shared some details of a project we’ve been working on with  Southwark, Lincoln and South Kesteven councils, exploring approaches for the design of a common pattern for reporting, diagnosing and scheduling of housing repairs.  Today, we’re taking a closer look at what that project has entailed, and the significant impact it could have.

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Taking learnings from innovation projects into the real world

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Taking learnings from innovation projects into the real world

Here at DG Cites our mission is to find practical ways to transform our cities, making them more efficient, and ultimately, more pleasant places to live and work. As part of our work we take part in groundbreaking co-innovation projects and we believe that consortium based projects like these are a fantastic way to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing us today. But, we are picky about which projects we take part in, looking for those which have the potential to deliver benefits where it really matters – to all city residents’ in their everyday lives.

Smart Cities & the Climate Crisis

Smart Cities & the Climate Crisis

Last year the UK government declared a climate emergency, announcing ambitious, legally-binding targets to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050. Since then, an awareness of the damage being done to the planet and the benefits of reducing our negative impact on the planet, have continued to become of high priority amongst all sections of society. We are witnessing the continued rise of school strikes, continually ambitious targets set by governments to transition to a low-carbon economy, and even the recent announcements by some of the corporate heavyweights to act on the climate crisis (Jeff Bezos’ $10bn climate fund, Microsoft’s pledge to become carbon negative by 2030 for example). It is now a priority to ensure our urban environment benefits people and the planet both now and in the future.

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Urban Innovation at the Front Line: February at DG Cities

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Urban Innovation at the Front Line: February at DG Cities

February: it seemed like it passed in a blink of an eye, even with the extra day this year. For Team DGC, it’s been another jam-packed one, full of everything from housing repairs to building works and even sustainable furniture…

What's so "Smart" about Smart Transport?

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.

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IDEMA: Opportunities and limitations of generating surplus energy in the UK

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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.

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Urban Innovation at the Front Line: January at DG Cities

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Urban Innovation at the Front Line: January at DG Cities

January: the month that always feels like a year. Not for Team DGC though; the month flew by with exciting meetings with potential clients, projects continuing and ending, and even a trip to visit the Brompton factory. No time for winter blues over here!

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What Makes DG Cities Different

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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

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.