DG Cities

"Technological innovation isn’t what we need now. The innovation we need is in how we talk to people, the governance, procurement, funding and financial structures surrounding the technology, and how we get behavioural change so that more of that technology is being taken up." DG Cities' Director of Innovation & Net Zero, Balázs Csuvár was back on campus in a popular event that brought together leading Imperial College London alumni to explore the future of the city. You can catch up with some fascinating insights into the future of energy, housing, transport and more from Balazs, Caroline Howe, Pepe Puchol-Salort and Sarah Holliday here: https://lnkd.in/exYTnJPr

Enjoying an interesting morning at the techUK Digital Ethics Summit on the shape of the UKs regulatory and industry approach to ensuring safe AI. Wide ranging discussion on UK institutional innovation in #AI role of policy, regulation and business - particularly open techniques and businesses working in the open on open source technologies. Agree with Linda Griffin of Mozilla that there are societal benefits that the public will reap from open tools. Excellent point from Alex Krasodomski-Jones on the global political and governance spheres moving "from the handbrake to the accelerator" - in a world of strongman protectionism the UK needs to focus on fast and safe innovation. Also great to hear our DG Cities work on AI taxonomies and language referenced alongside Department for Science, Innovation and Technology consultation of the AI Management Essentials. 🤓 Language of AI assurance and ethics is key! #DES2024 #digitalethics2024

We have been working with DG Cities to raise awareness of and prevent fly-tipping on the Woolwich Common Estate. 🎨♻️ Families on the Woolwich Common Estate have produced artwork, in collaboration with local arts group TARU Arts, from recycled materials (such as food wrappers and plastic bottles), to display around the estate. This is part of a project which aims to reduce fly-tipping and littering, encourage recycling and help communities start conversations on how to keep their neighbourhood tidy. You can see the murals installed on the estate until March 2025.

"Digital inclusion is social inclusion." Molly Gavriel, Senior Business Analyst at dxw, reflects on the recent LGA conference for the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU). In her piece, she highlights some of the work Digital Greenwich Connect is doing to address #digitalinclusion in the borough. Read Molly's article here: https://lnkd.in/ew5CijBv Digital Greenwich Connect was set up to build and maintain a 21-kilometre full-fibre, gigabit-capable network infrastructure in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, as a joint venture between DG Cities and full-fibre provider ITS Technology Group. Understanding the importance of accessible technology as a foundation for social inclusion, our work will provide stable, high-quality and affordable internet connectivity to help improve public service delivery and enable greater community participation in democratic processes. Find out more about the joint venture here: https://lnkd.in/e23zPR2h Trevor P. Dorling

As the UK's first New Town, Stevenage was designed from scratch to bring together all forms of transport, including cycling - yet many residents today aren’t embracing life on two wheels. DG Cities partnered with Stevenage Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council to understand why, and how we could help encourage people to give cycling a spin. By using behavioural science, co-creation, and evidence-based techniques, we worked with families, students, and healthcare staff to identify barriers, practical challenges and find solutions. From cycle miles schemes to bicycle libraries, our work aimed to help unlock Stevenage’s cycling potential. Curious about how small changes can lead to big impact? Read our latest case study: https://lnkd.in/eVjjm5yU #CyclingForAll #SustainableTravel #BehaviouralInnovation Leanne Kelly Emily King Edward Houghton

Come and see some fantastic murals made by residents in Woolwich to help stop fly-tipping on their estate! We have been working on a project with the Royal Borough of Greenwich to raise awareness of and deter fly-tipping on the Woolwich Common Estate. Families in the area have collaborated with local arts group, TARU Arts to turn wrappers and plastic bottles into these wonderful murals – the aim is to help reduce fly-tipping and littering, promote recycling, bring people together and start conversations on how to keep the neighbourhood tidy. Fly-tipping is also a drain on budgets, and costs the council over £1 million a year. As part of the ongoing work to tackle the issue, CCTV cameras have been installed in fly-tipping hotspots, and information on how to dispose of bulky waste has been shared. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/epMAxWDc

What is the biggest barrier to decarbonising housing within local authorities? Funding? Skills and time? Local resistance? All of the above...? In our latest blog, we take a brief look at ways to break down some of these barriers; to support funding, strengthen skills and bring communities into the process to deliver change that works for everyone. https://lnkd.in/effUQFSJ

As is customary, we like to invite our newest team members to say hello and share an introduction to their work at DG Cities, a little about what they have been doing before, and how they are finding their first few weeks... With that in mind, we’re delighted to welcome our new Graduate Evaluation & Data Analyst, Gabriela Mihaylova! https://lnkd.in/eT-2QjHQ

There's only one rebrand on everyone's minds this week. 👀 (In our office, at least.) As we approach a big milestone for DG Cities, we’re having a little update and getting ready for some exciting projects and events over the next six months and beyond. It's been a great opportunity for our team to share what they love about the work we do, their future ideas and have a lot of fun in the process. Thanks to our branding specialist, Ana Beatriz Fernandes, who has been expertly facilitating this over the last few weeks and turning conversations into some exciting visuals. Watch this space! #rebranding

Had a blast yesterday at the Woolwich Common Community Centre celebrating ongoing environment and neighborhood work on the Woolwich Common Estate. 🌲 GCDA- Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency and Royal Borough of Greenwich have been working for the last 12 months to help local people take a central role in the management and care of their estate. Community gardening, litter picking and coffee events with the wider community have all helped to bring residents together in collaboration with the council and local community groups. Was a lovely chance to celebrate the good work, with live music care of the Gurkha Nepalese community and TARU Arts 🥁 Also neat to showcase our new community art work developed by TARU Arts and local families, as part of DG Cities behavior change work on the estate! All using local recycled materials, designed to help reduce fly tipping Next up they'll be displayed on the estate as one of our behavior change interventions. 🤓 More to come 😎