https://theurbantechnologist.com/2024/05/07/how-to-achieve-smart-city-outcomes/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gilston-park.png.jpggilston-park.pnghttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gilston-park.pngGilston Parkhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/kings-cross.jpgKings Cross2024-05-07T19:30:41+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2018/07/10/a-plan-for-digital-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/digbeth.jpgDigbethhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/copenhagen.jpgCopenhagenhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/southbank.jpgSouthbank2024-04-16T12:40:50+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2024/04/12/smart-cities-should-be-defined-by-people-and-outcomes-not-technology/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/jane_jacobs.jpgjane_jacobshttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bdp-march-meeting.jpgbdp-march-meetinghttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/smart-city-timeline.jpgsmart-city-timelinehttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/smart-city-definition.jpgSmart City definition2024-04-28T12:03:43+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2020/08/21/5g-and-the-not-quite-so-new-normal/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/naked-sun-tv.jpgNaked Sun TVhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/naked-sun-book.jpgNaked Sun BookIsaac Asmiov's 1957 novel "The Naked Sun", set on the planet Solaria whose inhabits interact with each other solely through "trimensional images", and avoid personal contact2020-10-02T16:15:34+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/about/2020-05-28T22:36:09+00:00weekly0.6https://theurbantechnologist.com/forthcoming-talks/2020-05-28T22:24:39+00:00weekly0.6https://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/07/23/can-cities-break-geoffrey-wests-laws-of-urban-scaling/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/kowloon.jpgKowloonhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/img-20120718-002032-e1342654459308.jpgIMG-20120718-00203https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/img-20120718-002031.jpgIMG-20120718-00203https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/img-20120718-00203-e1342654296329.jpgIMG-20120718-002032020-05-15T09:59:54+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/10/11/4-ways-to-get-on-with-building-smart-cities-and-the-societal-failure-that-stops-us-using-them/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/usb_new-1.jpgusb_new (1)2018-12-20T13:01:37+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/06/08/whats-the-risk-of-investing-in-a-smarter-city/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/8-down-the-metro.jpg8-Down-The-Metrohttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/old-print-works.jpgOld print works(...)2018-08-03T15:49:00+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2017/02/05/our-education-system-is-not-fit-for-the-information-revolution/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/teachingassistant.jpgteachingassistant(Teaching assistants are vital to the ability of Primary Schools to spend time with individual children addressing their individual learning needs. The present funding crisis is leading some schools to cut the number of teaching assistants they employ by 50%)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kivarobotsamazonwarehouse.jpgkivarobotsamazonwarehouse2017-02-07T18:36:07+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2016/11/27/a-three-step-manifesto-for-a-smarter-fairer-economy/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/gop_2016_trump-jpeg-05b5a_c0-203-4928-3076_s885x516.jpggop_2016_trump-jpeg-05b5a_c0-203-4928-3076_s885x516(Anti-Donald Trump protesters in San Jose, California in June. Trump supporters leaving a nearby campaign rally were attacked)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/maslow1.jpg(Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs")https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/eu-uk-regional-funding.jpgeu-uk-regional-funding2017-01-29T23:47:33+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/04/12/3-human-qualities-digital-technology-cant-replace-in-the-future-economy-experience-values-and-judgement/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/irobot1.jpgirobot.jpg#(Isaac Asimov's 1950 short story collection "I, Robot", which explored the ethics of behaviour between people and intelligent machines)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/irobot.jpgirobot(Isaac Asimov's https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/notontheappstore.jpgnotontheappstore("Not available on the App Store": a campaign to remind us of the joy of play in the real world)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/venterartificiallife.jpgventerartificiallife(Self-replicating cells created from synthetic DNA by scientist Craig Venter)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/robotsselfaware.jpgRobotsSelfAware(Image by Kevin Trotman)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/babyipad.jpgbabyipad(Today's 5 year-olds are the world's first generation who grew up teaching themselves to use digital information from anywhere in the world before their parents taught them to read and write)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1024px-schrodingers_cat-svg.png1024px-Schrodingers_cat.svg(Schrödinger's cat: a cat, a flask of poison, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box. If an internal monitor detects radioactivity (i.e. a single atom decaying), the flask is shattered, releasing the poison that kills the cat. The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics implies that after a while, the cat is simultaneously alive and dead. Yet, when one looks in the box, one sees the cat either alive or dead, not both alive and dead. This poses the question of when exactly quantum superposition ends and reality collapses into one possibility or the other.)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/screenhunter_11-apr-08-23-53.jpgScreenHunter_11 Apr. 08 23.53("Rush Hour" by Black Sheep Films is a satirical imagining of what a world in which self-driven cars were allowed to drive as they like might look like. It's superficially simliar to the reality of city transport in the early 20th Century when powered-transport, horse-drawn transport and pedestrians mixed freely; but at a much higher average speed)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/bi-has-hit-the-wall.jpgbi-has-hit-the-wall2018-07-05T13:48:37+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/07/01/12-simple-technologies-for-cities-that-are-smart-open-and-fair/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/kilimo-salama.jpgKilimo Salama(The inspirational Kilimo Salama scheme that uses "appropriate technology" to make crop insurance affordable to subsistence farmers. Photo by Burness Communications)2016-11-24T23:19:17+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/09/07/11-reasons-computers-cant-understand-or-solve-our-problems-without-human-judgement/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/boston-bump.jpgBoston Bump(Road issues reported through the "Street Bump" app in Boston)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/wang_tiles.jpgWang_tiles(A set of Wang Tiles, and a pattern created by tiling them so that tiles are placed next to other tiles so that their edges have the same colour. Given any particular set of tiles, it is impossible to determine whether such a pattern can be created by any means other than trial and error)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/10goto101.png10goto10(Hello)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/10goto10.png10goto10https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/noise.jpgnoise(A measurement of the electrical properties of a superconducting device from my PhD thesis. Theoretically, the behaviour should appear as a smooth, wavy line; but the experimental measurement is affected by noise and interference that cause the signal to become "fuzzy". In this case, the effects of noise and interference - the degree to which the signal appears "fuzzy" - are relatively small relative to the strength of the signal, and the device is usable)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/dont_worry.jpgDont_Worry(Photo by Matt Gidley)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_0209-1.jpgIMG_0209-12016-07-28T03:52:28+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2016/02/01/why-smart-cities-still-arent-working-for-us-after-20-years-and-how-we-can-fix-them/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/icentrum.jpgiCentrum(Innovation Birmingham's £7m "iCentrum" facility will open in March 2016. It will small companies developing smart city products and services will have the opportunity to co-develop them with larger organisations such as RWE nPower, the Transport Systems Catapult and Centro (Birmingham’s Public Transport Executive) – see, e.g., https://ts.catapult.org.uk/-/centro-and-the-transport-systems-catapult-to-run-intelligent-mobility-incubator-within-innovation-birmingham-s-8m-icentrum-buildi-1 )https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/brumtram.jpgBrumTram(Birmingham's newly opened city centre trams are an example of a reversal of 20th century trends that prioritised car traffic over the public transport systems that we have realised are so important to healthy cities)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wizardofoz57403-e1453762629918.jpgwizardofoz5740(The futuristic "Emerald City" in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz". The "wizard" who controls the city is a fraud who uses theatrical technology to disguise his lack of real power.)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/citiesoutlook1901-e1452862016562.jpgCitiesOutlook1901(Population changes in Blackburn, Burnley and Preston from 1901-2001. In the early part of the century, all three cities grew, supported by successful manufacturing economies. But in the latter half, only Preston continued to grow as it transitioned successfully to a service economy. From Cities Outlook 1901 by Centre for Cities)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/usgdpandincome.jpgUSGDPandincome(United States GDP plotted against median household income from 1953 to present. Until about 1980, growth in the economy correlated to increases in household wealth. But from 1980 onwards as digital technology has transformed the economy, household income has remained flat despite continuing economic growth)2016-06-15T19:57:52+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/03/20/reclaiming-the-smart-agenda-for-fair-human-outcomes-enabled-by-technology/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/harbornefoodschoolopening.jpgHarborneFoodSchoolOpening(Shaleen Meelu and Robert Smith with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at the opening of the Harborne Food School. The School will .... ETC)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/thx1138.gifTHX1138(George Lucas' film THX 1138 is one of many dystopian novels, plays and films that has warned against giving technology control over our lives)2015-11-19T22:34:10+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/11/02/intelligent-transport-systems-need-to-get-wiser-or-transport-will-keep-on-killing-us/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/200-travellers.gif200 Travellershttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/birmingham-imd-cropped.jpgBirmingham IMD cropped(Areas in Brum)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/birmingham-imd.jpgBirmingham IMD(Areas of relative wealth and deprivation in Birmingham as measured by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation. Birmingham, like all of the UK's Core Cities, has a ring of persistently deprived areas immediately outside the city centre, co-located with the highest concentration of transport infrastructure allowing traffic to flow in and out of the city centre)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/tinsley-junior-school.jpgTinsley Junior School(Tinsley Junior School in Sheffield which has been forced to close due to diesel emissions from the M1 Motorway)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/200travellers.gif200travellers(A poster from the International Sustainability Institute's Commuter Toolkit, intended to persuade travellers to adopt forms of transport that take up less public space)2015-12-09T02:35:18+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/06/03/lets-not-get-carried-away-by-self-driving-cars-and-the-sharing-economy-they-wont-make-smart-cities-better-places-to-live-work-and-play/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/screenhunter_07-jun-03-23-49.jpgScreenHunter_07 Jun. 03 23.49https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/screenhunter_06-jun-03-23-37.jpgScreenHunter_06 Jun. 03 23.37(Traffic clogging the streets of Rome. Photo by AntyDiluvian)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/screenhunter_05-jun-03-23-30.jpgScreenHunter_05 Jun. 03 23.30(Cities either balance or create tension between human interaction and transport; how will self-driving cars change that equation?)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/image.jpgimagethe relationship between social and economic development, as measured by the UN Human Welfare Index, plotted left-to-right and ecological footprint per person, which is shown vertically2015-06-04T11:32:44+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/11/12/the-sharing-economy-and-the-future-of-movement-in-smart-human-scale-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/oldprintworks.jpgOldPrintWorkshttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/optimod-1.jpgOptimod 1(Optimod's vision for integrated, predictive mobile, multi-modal transport information)2015-02-23T23:13:29+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/02/15/6-inconvenient-truths-about-smart-cities/2015-03-04T13:22:10+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/02/01/smart-digital-urbanism-creating-the-conditions-for-equitably-distributed-opportunity-in-the-digital-age/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/6172318975_bcc84af6b2_o.jpg6172318975_bcc84af6b2_o(The sound artists FA-TECH [http://fa-tech.tumblr.com/] improvising in Shoreditch, London. Shoreditch's combination of urban character, cheap rents and proximity to London's business, financial centres and culture led to the emergence of a thriving technology startup community - although that community's success is now driving rents up, challenging some of the characteristics that enabled it.)2015-02-03T21:03:58+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/11/11/from-concrete-to-telepathy-how-to-build-future-cities-as-if-people-mattered/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/shades.gifshades(Shades Records in St. Anne's Court in the 1980s)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/harborne-food-school.jpgHarborne Food Schoolhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/screenhunter_623-nov-03-19-49.jpgScreenHunter_623 Nov. 03 19.49(An infographic depicting realtime data describing Dublin - the waiting time at road junctions; the location of buses; the number of free parking spaces and bicycles available to hire; and sentiments expressed about the city through social meida)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/scratch.jpgScratch(The programme I helped my 6-year old son write using MIT's "Scratch" language to draw a picture of a house)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/g157-richard-with-his-tandy.jpgG157 Richard with his Tandy2014-11-17T15:21:47+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/10/28/a-design-pattern-for-a-smarter-city-online-peer-to-peer-and-regional-marketplaces/2014-09-16T16:25:48+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/05/20/from-field-to-market-to-kitchen-smarter-ways-to-feed-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/insect-delicacies.jpginsect delicacies2014-09-16T16:25:16+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/03/16/six-ways-to-design-humanity-and-localism-into-smart-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/frederiksberg-20130925-01948.jpgFrederiksberg-20130925-01948(Cars in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen wishing to join a main road must give way to cyclists and pedestrians)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/a-tale-of-two-roundabouts.jpgA tale of two roundabouts(Top: Birmingham's Masshouse Circus roundabout, part of the inner-city ringroad that famously impeded the city's growth. Bottom: This pedestrian roundabout in Lujiazui, China, constructed over a busy road junction, is a large-scale city infrastructure that balances the need to support traffic flows through the city with the importance that Jane Jacobs first described of allowing people to walk freely about the areas where they live and work. Photo by ChrisUK)2014-05-20T22:27:03+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/04/08/no-one-wants-top-down-technology-driven-cities-theyd-be-dumb-not-smart/2014-05-21T22:32:45+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/09/24/can-smarter-cities-improve-our-quality-of-life/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/abidjanbus.jpgAbidjanBus(The origins and destinations of end-to-end journeys made in Abidjan, identified from anonymised SmartPhone GPS data)2014-05-20T03:48:37+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/09/30/a-design-pattern-for-a-smarter-city-local-currencies-and-alternative-trading-systems/2014-05-20T03:48:07+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/06/17/how-to-build-a-smarter-city-23-design-principles-for-digital-urbanism/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/amsterdam-smart-city-energy.jpgAmsterdam Smart City Energy(Graphic of energy use in Amsterdam from "Smart City Amsterdam" by Daan Velthauzs)2014-05-20T03:46:39+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/10/10/three-mistakes-were-still-making-about-smart-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/daden-library-of-birmingham.jpgDaden Library of Birmingham(Daden's visualisation of the new Library of Birmingham, created before construction started and used to familiarise staff with the new building they would be working in. Taken from Daden's brochure describing the work more fully).2014-05-20T03:46:10+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/03/02/creating-successful-smart-cities-in-2014-will-be-an-economic-financial-and-political-challenge-not-an-engineering-accomplishment/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img-20140122-02343.jpgIMG-20140122-02343(Birmingham's new city-centre tram)2014-05-20T03:44:41+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/12/03/information-and-choice-nine-reasons-our-future-is-in-the-balance/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/du-50-fold-growth-lg.jpgdu-50-fold-growth-lg(The prediction of exponential growth in digital information from EMC's Digital Universe report)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/em-dat.pngEM-DAT(Estimated damage in $US billion caused by natural disasters between 1900 and 2012 as reported by EM-DAT)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/world-urbanisation.gifWorld urbanisation(Growth in the world's urban population as reported by World Urbanization Prospects”, 2007 Revision, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/screenhunter_223-nov-28-00-06.jpgScreenHunter_223 Nov. 28 00.062013-12-12T23:49:25+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/smarter-city-design-principles/2016-06-23T05:08:54+00:00weekly0.6https://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/04/24/privacy-in-digital-cities-google-glass-the-right-to-choose-and-the-enduring-legacy-of-jane-jacobs/2013-09-27T21:21:24+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/04/03/a-design-pattern-for-digital-urbanism-city-centre-enterprise-incubation/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/wuxi-ipark.jpgWuxi iPark(The Wuxi iPark, where business incubation services are provided through a Cloud Computing platform)2013-09-26T05:40:59+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/02/19/a-design-pattern-for-digital-urbanism-the-city-information-partnership/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dublin-traffic-queues.jpgDublin Traffic Queues(Delay times at traffic junctions visualised by the Dublinked city information partnership.)2013-09-26T05:40:35+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/09/08/seven-steps-to-a-smarter-city-and-the-imperative-for-taking-them-updated-8th-september-2013/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/library_of_birmingham_-_interior_2013-08-28_-_39.jpgLibrary_of_Birmingham_-_interior_2013-08-28_-_39(Interior of the new Library of Birmingham, opened in September 2013. Photo by Andy Mabbett)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/singapore-traffic-prediction.jpgSingapore Traffic Prediction2013-09-10T09:30:01+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/11/18/building-a-smarter-city-on-the-cloud-in-sunderland/2013-09-07T19:39:38+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/05/21/death-life-and-place-in-great-digital-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tina-saaby.jpgTina Saaby(Tina Saaby, Copenhagen's City Architect, addressing the Academy of Urbanism Congress in Bradford)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dubuque-portal.jpgDubuque Portal(The Dubuque water and energy portal, showing an individual household insight into it's conservation performance; but also a ranking comparing their performance to their near neighbours)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/birmingham-20130506-01369.jpgBirmingham-20130506-01369(Visitors to Birmingham's new Eastside city park which connects the city centre and train stations to the Eastside learning district)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/london-life-expectancy.jpgLondon Life Expectancy("Lives on the Line" by James Cheshire at UCL's Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, showing the variation in life expectancy and correlation to child poverty in London. From Cheshire, J. 2012. Lives on the Line: Mapping Life Expectancy Along the London Tube Network. Environment and Planning A. 44 (7). Doi: 10.1068/a45341)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/birmingham-collage.jpgBirmingham Collage(A collage of photographs of some of Birmingham's value-creating districts, placed in relation to some of the spatial characteristics of the city that divide them. The Jewellery Quarter, a centre of advanced manufacturing to the North of the City Centre is separated from the digital technology incubation capability of Innovation Birmingham on the Aston University Campus, and from financial and legal expdertise in the Colmore Row business district, by the four-lane Great Charles Street Queensway and city-centre ringroad tunnels. The Aston Campus itself is separated from the Eastside learning quarter, home to Millennium Point and Birmingham City University, by the Jennens Road dual carriageway. Eastside itself is separated from the creative media cluster around the Custard Factory and Fazeley Studios in Digbeth in the South East by the East Coast mainline from Birmingham to London; and by the semi-dereliction of some parts of the Digbeth manufacturing district. To the South West, the enormous medical research capability around the University Hospital of Birmingham and University of Birmingham and it's Science Park are three miles from the City Centre. And whilst the retail core of the city was dramatically transformed by the Bullring redevelopment over a decade ago, it lacks the independent shops, cafe and culture that might naturally attract those who work in the surrounding creative districts to congregate together. The city's Big City Plan and independent initiatives such as Coffee Birmingham are doing much to address these issues, but they nevertheless illustrate the challenges many cities face in adapting their spatial structure to the needs of the new economy to bring their collective capabilities together to create new ideas and innovations. See the foot of this article for photo attributions).2013-09-07T19:22:10+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/08/18/gain-and-responsibility-five-business-models-for-sustainable-cities/2013-08-28T22:12:11+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/07/14/smarter-city-myths-and-misconceptions/2013-11-08T06:55:43+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/02/15/do-we-need-a-pattern-language-for-smarter-cities/2013-08-18T23:46:44+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/10/18/why-open-city-data-is-the-brownfield-regeneration-challenge-of-the-information-age/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/screenhunter_03-oct-17-13-55.jpgScreenHunter_03 Oct. 17 13.55(sdfsdfsfdsdf)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/exhibition-road-photos.jpgExhibition Road Photos(Two views of Exhibition Road in London, which can be freely used by pedestrians, for driving and for parking; the top photograph is by Dave Patten. How should this area be classified? As a road, a car park, a bus-stop, a pavement, a park - or something else?)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/it-systems.jpgIT systems(A map of the IT systems of a typical organisation, and the interconnections between then)2013-06-16T20:01:50+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/12/06/pens-paper-and-conversations-and-the-other-technologies-that-will-make-cities-smarter/2013-06-16T20:01:26+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/06/06/an-address-to-the-united-nations-science-technology-and-innovation-for-sustainable-cities-and-peri-urban-communities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/rio-operations-center-2.jpgRio Operations Center 2(The multi-agency control centre in Rio de Janeiro built by Mayor Eduardo Paes to enable the city's agencies to manage the city effectively during the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/berkely-mri-mindreading.jpgberkely mri mindreading(Images captured by MRI scan by Shinji Nishimoto, Alex G. Huth, An Vu and Jack L. Gallant, UC Berkley, 2011)2014-04-23T23:01:52+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/03/27/refactoring-nucleation-and-incubation-three-tools-for-digital-urban-adaptability/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/img-20130304-01032.jpgIMG-20130304-01032(The Old Street roundabout, around which London's "Tech City" cluster of technology companies has evolved)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/westminster-20130326-01197.jpgWestminster-20130326-01197(The collaborative working space of Hub Westminster which is constantly refactored to support new uses, exploiting furniture and spatial technology laser-cut from digital designs)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/img-20130306-01086.jpgIMG-20130306-01086(This year's Ecobuild conference, which showcases technologies for sustainable cities)2013-06-16T19:57:22+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/04/22/can-digital-technology-help-us-build-better-cities-a-workshop-at-the-academy-of-urbanism-annual-congress-bradford-thursday-17th-may/2013-06-22T12:19:05+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/06/09/how-cities-can-exploit-the-information-revolution/2013-06-06T00:15:01+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/11/09/looking-forward-to-decembers-birmingham-science-city-digital-working-group/2013-06-06T00:13:58+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/01/30/better-stories-for-smarter-cities-three-trends-in-urbanism-that-will-reshape-our-world/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img-20121104-00606.jpgIMG-20121104-006062013-06-06T00:13:19+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/03/11/littebig-producerconsumer-and-the-story-of-the-smarter-city/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ddespommier.jpgDDespommierhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/masshouse-circus.jpgMasshouse Circus(Photo of Masshouse Circus, Birmingham, before its redevelopment, by Birmingham City Council)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/emotiv-headset.jpgEmotiv headset(Photo of me wearing the Emotiv headset)2013-06-06T00:12:16+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/08/29/ten-ways-to-pay-for-a-smarter-city-part-one/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/birmingham-20120726-00213.jpgBirmingham-20120726-00213Birmingham's striking new Library building illustrates that despite hard times funding is available2013-10-26T08:33:00+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/11/25/smarter-regional-priorities-in-mature-european-economies/2013-05-21T21:37:04+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/10/03/tea-trust-and-hacking-how-birmingham-is-getting-smarter/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/smarthack11.jpgsmarthack1(Coders at work at the Birmingham "Smart Hack", photographed by Sebastian Lenton)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/smarthack2.jpgsmarthack2(The discussion group at #SmartHack in Birmingham)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/smarthack1.jpgsmarthack1(The discussion group at the #SmartHack event in Birmingham)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/img-20120828-00392.jpgIMG-20120828-00392(The Custard Factory in Birmingham, at the heart of the city's creative media sector)2013-05-21T18:21:42+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/11/30/no-one-is-going-to-pay-cities-to-become-smarter/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/screenhunter_02-nov-29-23-59.jpgScreenHunter_02 Nov. 29 23.59(The Olympic flame at Vancouver's Winter Olympics)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/bristolpoundfront-1.jpegBristolPoundFront 1(The Bristol Pound)2013-05-21T18:20:14+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/10/11/open-urbanism-why-the-information-economy-will-lead-to-sustainable-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/trip-planner.jpgTrip Planner(The Portland, Oregon implementation of Open Trip Planner)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/birmingham-20121005-00501.jpgBirmingham-20121005-00501(A receipt for the coffee Will Grant was kind enough to buy me at Birmingham Science Park Aston)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/barcelona-20121008-00511.jpgBarcelona-20121008-00511(Delegates browsing the exhibition space in Fira Barcelona at the World Bank's Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium "Rethinking Cities")2013-05-21T18:18:54+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/10/23/should-technology-improve-cities-or-should-cities-improve-technology/2013-05-21T18:18:27+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/11/07/zen-and-the-art-of-messy-urbanism/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/science-garden.jpgScience Garden(Children playing in the "Science Garden" outside Birmingham's Science Museum at Millenium Point; part of the new Eastside City Park, a vast urban space surrounded by education, culture and manufacturing)2013-05-21T18:17:30+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/11/13/the-six-steps-to-a-smarter-city-and-the-philosophical-imperative-for-taking-them-updated/2013-05-21T18:05:10+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/11/22/inspirational-simpli-city/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/streetwatch-in-cheddar-road.jpgStreetwatch in Cheddar Road(Residents of Balsall Heath warning kerb-crawlers on Cheddar Road in the 1990s that they would be watched and recorded)2013-05-21T18:04:49+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/12/04/the-future-of-open-urbanism/2013-05-21T18:03:15+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/01/08/the-six-steps-to-a-smarter-city-and-the-philosophical-imperative-for-taking-them-updated-2/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/eastside-city-park.jpgEastside City Park2013-05-21T17:58:42+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/12/14/smarter-cities-need-smarter-social-enterprises/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sunderland-20120228-006061.jpgSunderland-20120228-00606(The SES "Container City" incubation facility for social enterprise in Sunderland)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sunderland-20120228-00606.jpgSunderland-20120228-006062013-05-21T17:55:22+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/12/22/localism-and-economic-regeneration-in-cities/2013-05-21T17:55:07+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/01/20/the-economics-and-attractiveness-of-smarter-cities/2013-05-21T17:54:56+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/01/30/which-cities-will-get-smarter-fastest/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/img-20120604-00073.jpgIMG-20120604-00073Birmingham is a diverse city currently undergoing the latest of many periods of regeneration2013-05-21T17:54:48+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/06/13/will-we-reach-our-food-future-through-evolution-or-catastrophe/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/img_7570.jpgIMG_7570(An example of local food processing: my own homemade chorizo.)2013-05-21T17:51:10+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/06/20/digital-platforms-for-smarter-city-market-making/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sunderland-20120228-00606.jpgSunderland-20120228-00606(Photo of the "Container City" incubation hub for social enterprises operated by Sustainable Enterprise Strategies in Sunderland)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cimg0552.jpgUnfamiliar food in Phnom Penh's central marketHowever unfamiliar the produce, markets still need physical, infromation and governance infrastructure2013-05-21T17:50:47+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/07/05/could-the-future-of-money-be-city-currencies/2013-05-21T17:50:20+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/07/18/are-smarter-cities-the-key-to-social-mobility/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ibmsmartcities-1.jpgIBMSmartCities 12013-05-21T17:49:59+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/08/02/from-christmas-lights-to-bio-energy-how-technology-will-change-our-sense-of-place/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/emotiv-headset1.jpgEmotiv headset(Photo of me wearing the Emotiv headset)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/emotiv-headset.jpgEmotiv headset2013-05-21T17:49:00+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/08/13/the-amazing-heart-of-a-smarter-city-the-innovation-boundary/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/sunderland-20111213-00397.jpgSunderland-20111213-00397(Meeting with social entrepreneurs in Sunderland who create local innovations in the city)2013-05-21T17:48:36+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/09/26/the-new-architecture-of-smart-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smart-city-architecture3.jpgSmart City Architecture(Components of a Smart City architecture)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smart-city-architecture2.jpgSmart City Architecture(Components of a Smart City architecture)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smart-city-architecture-02.jpgSmart City Architecture 02(Components of a "Smart City" architecture)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smart-city-architecture1.jpgSmart City Architecture(Components of a "Smart City" Architecture)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smart-city-architecture.jpgSmart City Architecture(Components of a "Smart City" Architecture)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/screenhunter_01-sep-21-01-172.jpgScreenHunter_01 Sep. 21 01.17(Components of a "Smart City" Architecture)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/screenhunter_01-sep-21-01-171.jpgScreenHunter_01 Sep. 21 01.17https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/screenhunter_01-sep-21-01-17.jpgScreenHunter_01 Sep. 21 01.17(A "Smart City" Architecture)2016-08-19T01:09:13+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/09/11/five-steps-to-a-smarter-city-and-the-philosophical-imperative-for-taking-them/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smart-commission-members.jpgsmart-commission-members(The members of Birmingham's Smart City Commission)2013-05-21T17:47:45+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/03/20/the-need-for-sympathetic-digital-urbanism/2013-05-21T17:14:40+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/02/28/accessibility-or-bust/2013-04-24T00:07:19+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/04/19/the-world-is-at-our-childrens-fingertips-and-they-will-change-it/2013-04-24T00:06:45+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/08/20/four-avatars-of-the-metropolis-technologies-that-will-change-our-cities/2013-04-24T00:05:20+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/09/04/ten-ways-to-pay-for-a-smarter-city-part-two/2013-04-23T23:54:23+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/12/13/smart-ideas-for-everyday-cities/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/sidmouth-march.jpgSidmouth March(Residents of of Sidmouth in Devon express their belief that the town's independent retailers are the key to the future of its economy)2013-04-23T23:52:32+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/02/16/who-will-be-the-next-generation-of-technology-millionaires/2013-02-19T00:57:19+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/03/09/open-data-isnt-free-data/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/screenhunter_27-jun-06-09-28.jpgAn early mashup using open data from Chicago's police force2013-02-19T00:50:35+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/04/26/virtualisation-is-bringing-us-back-together/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/20120605-012840.jpg20120605-012840.jpg2013-02-19T00:50:07+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/06/01/will-the-city-of-the-future-be-a-hyperlocal-manufacturing-cluster/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/20120605-005134.jpg20120605-005134.jpg2013-02-19T00:48:51+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/07/11/the-simple-idea-behind-smarter-cities-take-better-informed-more-forward-looking-decisions/2013-02-19T00:47:08+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/07/26/how-smarter-cities-get-started/2013-02-19T00:46:15+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/08/07/five-roads-to-a-smarter-city/2013-02-18T02:08:24+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/05/17/extreme-urbanism-live-here-at-your-peril/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/20120605-011210.jpg20120605-011210.jpg2013-01-30T01:15:04+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/12/18/happy-christmas-and-thankyou-from-the-urban-technologist/https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/the-urban-technologist-22.jpgThe Urban Technologist 2(The thoughtful statue floating in Barcelona's docks that I use as the header image for this blog)https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/the-urban-technologist-21.jpgThe Urban Technologist 2https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/the-urban-technologist-2.jpgThe Urban Technologist 2https://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/the-urban-technologist.jpgThe Urban Technologisthttps://theurbantechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/20121218-000314.jpg20121218-000314.jpg2012-12-19T16:50:00+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/04/12/how-will-the-uk-create-the-skills-that-the-economy-of-2020-will-need/2012-12-15T11:42:01+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/02/02/how-to-pay-for-a-smarter-city/2012-12-15T11:40:01+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2012/11/19/soft-infrastructures-for-smart-cities/2012-11-19T16:21:13+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2009/01/17/how-to-tweet/2012-11-10T11:39:47+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2009/01/30/this-weeks-reading-the-future-of-banking/2012-11-10T11:39:42+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2009/02/04/for-sale-one-economy-slightly-used/2012-11-10T11:39:37+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2009/04/08/this-weeks-reading/2012-11-10T11:39:30+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/10/27/the-need-for-technology-and-mathematical-skills-in-a-smarter-planet-with-open-data/2012-11-10T11:39:18+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/12/02/smarter-cities-doing-more-for-much-less/2012-11-10T11:38:58+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2009/04/03/social-media-a-reminiscence/2012-06-20T22:37:19+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2011/10/26/smarter-city-collaborations/2012-06-06T15:30:51+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.com/2008/10/30/the-person-of-the-year-is-you-again/2012-06-06T13:57:14+00:00monthlyhttps://theurbantechnologist.comdaily1.02024-05-07T19:30:41+00:00