Thank you to Linda Chandler, Industry Executive for Local Regional Government at Microsoft, for contributing this article.
Here, Linda elaborates on key points she joined us in discussing at the SLCC Practitioner's Conference in February 2022 for our presentation marking the launch of our Digital Levelling Up programme. (SLCC members can watch the session free of charge by requesting the recording here.)
Read the full article for an insightful view of how the future of work has the potential to help our high streets, and how stakeholder collaboration at a hyperlocal level is crucial for achieving place-based agility.
Three clear shifts are aligning to make digital innovation relevant for places of all sizes: the affordability of smart city technology, the future of work and the cohesion of our communities.
From Smart Cities to Smart Places
When we think about the different pillars of a city – government, transport, education, health, retail etc. these are equally present on a smaller scale and are as recognisable in our district and parish councils as they are at a city or county level. Computing power in the 1980s was only available to a smaller number of organisations that could afford mainframe computers, but the 1990s saw the democratisation of this through ‘personal computers’ (PC) which combined with the global connectivity of the 2000s and the mobility era of 2010, have democratised technology for the average person in the street.
More than a decade ago the phrase ‘smart cities’ made its entrance into the lexicon of how we talk about digital and place. At the time this was probably more “technology-push” than “citizen-pull” but as technology has become more reliable, faster and cheaper over the years and as societal acceptance and adoption of technology has grown, we are at an interesting point where technology that was only the preserve of the major global cities – say of London, Singapore or Barcelona – is now within reach of our towns and communities.
The Future of Work and the High Street
Another trend which has been growing for over a decade is that of flexible working. Microsoft technology has been at the forefront of enabling the future of work and as an organisation we have been involved in shaping it for some time. From being active in a government-backed initiative called the ‘Anywhere Working Consortium’ that was launched in 2011 to our more recent Work Trend Index and New Future of Work research.
Fast forward a decade and for those that could, the pandemic really forced some of us into the world’s largest working from home experiment. However, working from home and working in the office are extremes on a spectrum of places to work, but real life is rarely so binary.
While many find working from home flexible and productive, some find it isolating and do not have the facilities at home to accommodate a working environment.
I’m sure you could walk down a high street near you and find many workers with their laptops perched on tables in coffee shops, escaping the confines of home.
What if your high street had a co-working space which was more conducive to supporting a work environment near to home?
What would that do for both the daytime economy and for supporting community connections?
Cohesive Communities and the Eco-system of Place
Digital technology is no longer confined to organisations, but is present in almost every aspects of our lives, places and society.
We also recognise that the power of place is not just about local government.
It’s about the community of local organisations – an ‘eco-system of place’ – public services such as health, care, education etc., local businesses, social enterprises, the voluntary sector, residents.
Hyperlocal networks came into their own during the pandemic – they proved that they were close to understanding local issues, could act with agility and be innovative around how they create impact.
It’s my hope that the democratisation of smart technology, coupled with taking control over the future of local working can create the engagement, stakeholder connections and place-based agility that our towns and communities need.
Let’s face it – we all stand to gain from this approach – it’s not so much about smart technology, but developing smart sustainable economic futures in the places we live.
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