Smart eco-cities for a green economy: a comparative study of Europe and China
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: Geography
Abstract
Europe and China both face the challenges of climate change and associated environmental degradation, and of finding ways in which to promote economic transition away from carbon-intensive economic and consumption patterns, and towards a green economy. The city is where these challenges are centred, and where solutions have to be found: cities are both producers of environmental externalities, and the locations where the negative effects of climate change will be felt most acutely. A promising approach focuses on treating new and existing cities as 'experimental areas' where transitions to a green economy can be trialled. Eco-cities and smart cities have been proposed as potential solutions to the need for a green economy: they are seen as 'socio-technical experiments' which are potential drivers for local, national and international environmental socio-economic change and transition.
Both China and several European countries are actively engaged in planning and building experimental cities focused on the green economy. Many of these projects combine elements of eco-city planning (focusing on the visible 'hardware' of environmental sustainability: planning, architecture, renewable energy and smart grid technologies, etc.), with 'smart city' planning (focusing is on 'software': information systems, social capital, knowledge transfer, etc.). We propose analysis of what we call the 'smart eco-city', defined as an experimental city which functions as a potential niche where both environmental and economic reforms can be tested and introduced in areas which are both spatially proximate (the surrounding region) and in an international context (through networks of knowledge, technology and policy transfer and learning).
The aim of this project is to provide the first systematic comparative analysis of green economy-focused eco-city projects in China and Europe. This will inform the identification of opportunities and pathways for shaping national and collaborative international urban and economic policy responses, engaging the state, the business sector and communities in delivering 'smart eco-city' projects that can promote the growth of the green economy.
The research addresses key issues: a.) how experimental cities have fared in terms of promoting successful transitions to a green economy in Europe and China since 2000; b.) how to evaluate success in smart eco-city initiatives; c.) what are the main obstacles to successful projects d.) what generalizable lessons can be drawn from successful smart eco-cities, in socio-economic and policy terms; e.) how knowledge can be effectively shared across the context of European and Chinese urban-economic policymaking for smart eco-cities.
In order to address these crucial issues our team will carry out international, interdisciplinary multi-method research which will include a total of eight in-depth smart eco-city case studies in China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. This will involve documentary research as well as interviews with European and Chinese policymakers, businesspeople, financiers, local communities and other stakeholders. The project will also involve research aimed at building the first qualitative-quantitative database of smart eco-city projects: this will form the backbone of our policy toolkit and will be a state-of-the-art contribution to current knowledge on smart- and eco-city planning and policy.
Our expected outcomes are: 1.) the first systematic comparative study of smart eco-city projects in Europe and China; 2.) the identification of criteria for the success of experimental city projects in stimulating the emergence and growth of the green economy; 3.) a true interdisciplinary partnership between China and Europe in the generation of new knowledge and data; 4.) the generation of new theory in the field of transition theory; and 5.) policy toolkits of use for beneficiaries involved in contemporary experimental smart eco-city projects.
Both China and several European countries are actively engaged in planning and building experimental cities focused on the green economy. Many of these projects combine elements of eco-city planning (focusing on the visible 'hardware' of environmental sustainability: planning, architecture, renewable energy and smart grid technologies, etc.), with 'smart city' planning (focusing is on 'software': information systems, social capital, knowledge transfer, etc.). We propose analysis of what we call the 'smart eco-city', defined as an experimental city which functions as a potential niche where both environmental and economic reforms can be tested and introduced in areas which are both spatially proximate (the surrounding region) and in an international context (through networks of knowledge, technology and policy transfer and learning).
The aim of this project is to provide the first systematic comparative analysis of green economy-focused eco-city projects in China and Europe. This will inform the identification of opportunities and pathways for shaping national and collaborative international urban and economic policy responses, engaging the state, the business sector and communities in delivering 'smart eco-city' projects that can promote the growth of the green economy.
The research addresses key issues: a.) how experimental cities have fared in terms of promoting successful transitions to a green economy in Europe and China since 2000; b.) how to evaluate success in smart eco-city initiatives; c.) what are the main obstacles to successful projects d.) what generalizable lessons can be drawn from successful smart eco-cities, in socio-economic and policy terms; e.) how knowledge can be effectively shared across the context of European and Chinese urban-economic policymaking for smart eco-cities.
In order to address these crucial issues our team will carry out international, interdisciplinary multi-method research which will include a total of eight in-depth smart eco-city case studies in China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. This will involve documentary research as well as interviews with European and Chinese policymakers, businesspeople, financiers, local communities and other stakeholders. The project will also involve research aimed at building the first qualitative-quantitative database of smart eco-city projects: this will form the backbone of our policy toolkit and will be a state-of-the-art contribution to current knowledge on smart- and eco-city planning and policy.
Our expected outcomes are: 1.) the first systematic comparative study of smart eco-city projects in Europe and China; 2.) the identification of criteria for the success of experimental city projects in stimulating the emergence and growth of the green economy; 3.) a true interdisciplinary partnership between China and Europe in the generation of new knowledge and data; 4.) the generation of new theory in the field of transition theory; and 5.) policy toolkits of use for beneficiaries involved in contemporary experimental smart eco-city projects.
Planned Impact
The project will have an impact in informing policymaking as well as business and community engagement in and around experimental smart eco-city projects in the UK, other European countries and in China. Our research project involves sustained and detailed engagement with beneficiaries in the UK, China, the Netherlands, France and Germany, and will have an impact on:
Policy beneficiaries: in the UK these will be a.) policymakers at the national level, especially those concerned with urban and economic planning, or with environmental planning (e.g. Department for Communities and Local Government; Department for Energy & Climate Change; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs); b.) private sector-focused government bodies, such as UK Trade and Industry; c.) local government bodies at the level of individual case studies, including local councils. These beneficiaries will benefit from engagement in the project through published outputs and from attendance at community-focused stakeholder impact workshops (see 'community beneficiaries' below), policy workshops, funded attendance at international practitioner-academic conferences such as the UN World Urban Forum summit in 2016; and the project website and webinars.
Business beneficiaries: UK businesses such as urban development and design firms, engineering corporations, or consultancies, and including industry-focused bodies such as the China-Britain Business Council. Business beneficiaries will benefit from published, workshop and webinar impact mechanisms mentioned above (in the discussion on policy beneficiaries), as well as from a specific, business-focused output: an Executive Summary Report targeting business impact, informed through engagement with businesspeople and corporations throughout the project's lifetime, therefore making sure that the report targets topics, issues and solutions relevant to UK businesses.
Community beneficiaries: these will include local community stakeholders at case study sites. These beneficiaries represent those who will be most directly affected by smart eco-city planning projects and policies. It is expected that most of these beneficiaries will be (in the UK) located in and around the Thames Gateway Eco-Region case study sites. Community beneficiaries will include NGOs, civil society organizations, and individual citizens. They will benefit from all the activities mentioned above, with a particular focus on the stakeholder impact meetings, which will be held at case study sites during case study research: in the UK, these meetings will mostly be in and around the Thames Gateway regions, and will focus on local stakeholders from communities and civil society organizations (as well as local government).
Policy, business and community beneficiaries will benefit from the provision made within the project for these beneficiaries to participate at stakeholder impact meetings; policy workshops in London and Beijing; and at panels and conference discussion sessions to be held at the UN World Urban Forum summit in 2016 and at the Eco-Cities World Summit in 2017, featuring engagement with academic and policy audiences, as well as with businesses. These events will see beneficiary attendees from other European countries and from China, funded by respective national project teams, and will therefore be key knowledge sharing, mutual learning and networking opportunities for policymakers, businesses and community stakeholders. Those beneficiaries participating in policy workshops in China will benefit from case study site visits to selected smart eco-cities, enabling on-the-ground policy and practice learning.
Finally, we aim to achieve broader societal impact through enabling the construction of cleaner and smarter urban economies and environments, thus helping to ensure successful smart eco-city projects, the emergence of a sustainable green economy, and better, more prosperous, and environmentally resilient communities.
Policy beneficiaries: in the UK these will be a.) policymakers at the national level, especially those concerned with urban and economic planning, or with environmental planning (e.g. Department for Communities and Local Government; Department for Energy & Climate Change; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs); b.) private sector-focused government bodies, such as UK Trade and Industry; c.) local government bodies at the level of individual case studies, including local councils. These beneficiaries will benefit from engagement in the project through published outputs and from attendance at community-focused stakeholder impact workshops (see 'community beneficiaries' below), policy workshops, funded attendance at international practitioner-academic conferences such as the UN World Urban Forum summit in 2016; and the project website and webinars.
Business beneficiaries: UK businesses such as urban development and design firms, engineering corporations, or consultancies, and including industry-focused bodies such as the China-Britain Business Council. Business beneficiaries will benefit from published, workshop and webinar impact mechanisms mentioned above (in the discussion on policy beneficiaries), as well as from a specific, business-focused output: an Executive Summary Report targeting business impact, informed through engagement with businesspeople and corporations throughout the project's lifetime, therefore making sure that the report targets topics, issues and solutions relevant to UK businesses.
Community beneficiaries: these will include local community stakeholders at case study sites. These beneficiaries represent those who will be most directly affected by smart eco-city planning projects and policies. It is expected that most of these beneficiaries will be (in the UK) located in and around the Thames Gateway Eco-Region case study sites. Community beneficiaries will include NGOs, civil society organizations, and individual citizens. They will benefit from all the activities mentioned above, with a particular focus on the stakeholder impact meetings, which will be held at case study sites during case study research: in the UK, these meetings will mostly be in and around the Thames Gateway regions, and will focus on local stakeholders from communities and civil society organizations (as well as local government).
Policy, business and community beneficiaries will benefit from the provision made within the project for these beneficiaries to participate at stakeholder impact meetings; policy workshops in London and Beijing; and at panels and conference discussion sessions to be held at the UN World Urban Forum summit in 2016 and at the Eco-Cities World Summit in 2017, featuring engagement with academic and policy audiences, as well as with businesses. These events will see beneficiary attendees from other European countries and from China, funded by respective national project teams, and will therefore be key knowledge sharing, mutual learning and networking opportunities for policymakers, businesses and community stakeholders. Those beneficiaries participating in policy workshops in China will benefit from case study site visits to selected smart eco-cities, enabling on-the-ground policy and practice learning.
Finally, we aim to achieve broader societal impact through enabling the construction of cleaner and smarter urban economies and environments, thus helping to ensure successful smart eco-city projects, the emergence of a sustainable green economy, and better, more prosperous, and environmentally resilient communities.
Publications
Burton K
(2018)
Inside Smart Cities: Place, Politics and Urban Innovation
Caprotti F
(2019)
Varieties of smart urbanism in the UK : Discursive logics, the state and local urban context
in Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers
Caprotti F
(2017)
The New Urban Agenda: key opportunities and challenges for policy and practice
in Urban Research & Practice
Caprotti F
(2016)
Interrogating urban experiments
in Urban Geography
Caprotti F
(2018)
Spaces of visibility in the smart city: Flagship urban spaces and the smart urban imaginary
in Urban Studies
Caprotti F
(2022)
Beyond the smart city: a typology of platform urbanism.
in Urban transformations
Caprotti F
(2022)
Beyond the smart city: a typology of platform urbanism
in Urban Transformations
Caprotti F
(2016)
Smart Eco-Cities in the UK: Trends and City Profiles 2016
Title | Smart Eco-Cities YouTube channel |
Description | A YouTube channel of research videos from the project, featuring different project team member interviews. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Impact | As per the reporting date, the channel had been active a day only, this field will be updated in due time. |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNq16iT_RGxB0KqovDNEQmA |
Description | - The project has found that citizenship engagement and participation in smart eco-city projects is still largely under-emphasised both by corporate and government bodies. There is a need for smart and eco-city projects to be more visible to citizens, and for more avenues of engagement and co-design and co-production. - The use of bounded, experimental 'zones' for experimenting with new smart eco-city projects is useful, as seen in the cases of Manchester and Bordeaux. - The urban and societal futures agenda is not simply driven by corporate and highly technical actors (engineers, executives, consultants, designers etc.). National and city governments actually play a key role in steering and promoting the development of smart and eco-urbanism, as shown by our research in the UK and China. - There remains a significant 'implementation gap' between national-level strategies developed by public authorities, and the translation of these strategies at the local, city level. Striking a balance between national aims and local contexts and priorities is key. - In Project Year 1, the team completed a mapping of smart eco-cities in the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany and China according to a shared methodology developed by the team. This has involved the development of: a.) a quantitative, computer algorithm-based search which was carried out across all the countries mentioned above. In 2019, results from this part of the research indicate that the smart city is a globalising narrative, but that it is also increasingly associated with more local and transformational governance agendas. - In the UK, the project produced, in 2016, the first 'map' of UK smart cities, and these findings will be of interest to policymakers and to private sector stakeholders. In 2016-18, this was expanded to a mapping of smart eco-cities in the Netherlands, France, Germany and China. - In-depth study of smart and eco-city transformational strategies and projects in Manchester, Bristol, Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Bordeaux, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Ningbo. |
Exploitation Route | Non-academic use: the project findings can contribute to international and national future city development pathways through informing the ways in which smart and low carbon city policies are constructed. Our findings also highlight some the key policy opportunities and obstacles that can be generalised through our multi-country study. Academic use: the project's findings have contributed a wealth of deep empirical data about the varied ways in which smart and 'eco' urban policies and projects are being articulated across several country jurisdictions. We have also contributed theoretical knowledge about how urban smart-eco city experiments are being governed in a variety of modalities. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Creative Economy Environment Government Democracy and Justice Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
URL | http://www.smart-eco-cities.org/?page_id=14 |
Description | Please refer to the outcomes for ES/L015978/2 for full details. Although the project was mostly focused on academic research and scholarly debates around urban planning and thinking through the link between smart city and eco-city planning in Europe and China, there was policy engagement throughout the project which can be classed as impact. Examples of non-academic impact resulting from the project include: a.) the dissemination of a summary of early findings from our smart eco-cities survey at a policy and private sector conference on smart cities held in Manchester in March 2016. The conference remit aimed to discuss the future of smart cities, with a UK focus, and our methodology and UK survey was of central interest to participants at the conference: 80 summary reports were printed for dissemination. In 2018, also, the project was featured on the UK's Local Government Chronicle. b.) invited participation by the project team at a 2-day workshop in 2018 aimed at Chinese policymakers and scholars, which included representatives from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This was a key mechanism for dialogue and for translating the insights of the project to a policy-focused audience. Our work was also covered in Chinese TV coverage that year, following team participation at a national Chinese planners' conference. |
First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education |
Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
Description | Citizenship and the Chinese smart city: China's Social Credit System experiment |
Amount | € 72,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Taiwan, Province of China |
Start | 07/2019 |
End | 08/2022 |
Description | PhD studentship from China Scholarship Council awarded for the study of sustainable cities in China |
Amount | £65,600 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Leeds |
Department | China Scholarship Council |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 09/2022 |
Description | Sir Richard Trainor PhD Studentship |
Amount | £45,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | King's College London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2015 |
End | 09/2018 |
Title | Algorithm for search queries for SMART-ECO database |
Description | An algorithm was developed and tested: the algorithm's purpose was to contribute to the quantitative database that was designed and compiled as an output of project year 1. The algorithm was developed in order to enable automated search to be carried out for database data collection. The algorithm was tested in the UK and the Netherlands by project team members, and will be further tested by Chinese team members in China in Project Year 2 in order to ensure workability across different digital landscapes. There are no ethical or other considerations associated with the algorithm. |
Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The search-based algorithm has only been developed and it is too early to note any significant impacts. |
Title | Methodology for evaluating smart cities in the EU and UK |
Description | The UK project team developed a methodology for categorising and analysing smart cities in the UK and EU. This was based on an elaboration and expansion of an earlier methodology developed for the EU Parliament. There are no ethical or other considerations associated with the methodology. |
Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The methodology has enabled the UK team to carry out initial analysis of the UK smart cities governance and project landscape, resulting in the production of a UK policymaker and private sector stakeholder-focused summary report aiming to influence policy and business. |
Title | Qualitative database of smart eco-cities |
Description | A qualitative database of smart eco-city projects in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany and China was developed and completed in 2015-16. There are no ethical or other considerations to be noted for this database. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The database has contributed to initial impact activities with policymakers and private sector stakeholders. |
Title | SMART-ECO database and search |
Description | A database of all smart and eco-city projects with a focus on the EU and China was designed and carried out in 2015-16. No ethical or other constraints affect this database. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | It is too early to describe notable impacts at this stage, since the database has only just been completed. |
Description | A project paper was used as input for establishing a collaborative project between a UK and an Australian university |
Organisation | University of Glasgow |
Department | Urban Studies |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The publication of three pieces, by Caprotti, Joss and Cowley, in the journal Palgrave Communications, on the topic of future cities, has led to at least one of these pieces being used in a bid for a collaborative project by Joss as part of a partnership between the Universities of Glasgow and Sydney. The collaborative project application was successful, and the fund was awarded. |
Collaborator Contribution | Simon Joss, Co-I, led the University of Glasgow side of the bid for the collaborative project. |
Impact | None yet. This is a multi-disciplinary application involving sociology and urban studies. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | A project paper was used as input for establishing a collaborative project between a UK and an Australian university |
Organisation | University of Sydney |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The publication of three pieces, by Caprotti, Joss and Cowley, in the journal Palgrave Communications, on the topic of future cities, has led to at least one of these pieces being used in a bid for a collaborative project by Joss as part of a partnership between the Universities of Glasgow and Sydney. The collaborative project application was successful, and the fund was awarded. |
Collaborator Contribution | Simon Joss, Co-I, led the University of Glasgow side of the bid for the collaborative project. |
Impact | None yet. This is a multi-disciplinary application involving sociology and urban studies. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Caprotti (PI) was awarded an Alan Turing Institute fellowship 2018-20 |
Organisation | Alan Turing Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The main input was my background and project experience on the SMART-ECO project, which was the area of focus for an application for an Alan Turing Institute fellowship. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Alan Turing Institute funded 0.05 FTE of the PI's time for 2 years from October 2018, and provided access to Exeter-London travel funds, and meeting facilities, as part of the fellowship that was awarded. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Federico Caprotti was asked to be an advisor to a Swiss National Science Foundation project on smart cities in India and South Africa |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | Department of Geography |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Federico Caprotti was asked to be an advisor to a Swiss National Science Foundation project on smart cities in India and South Africa. This resulted from the outputs produced by the SMART-ECO project. The contributions have included invitations to speak and provide feedback at project meetings for the SNSF project. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners hold the SNSF project, and have contributed knowledge and expertise which has helped to broaden the field of knowledge and research on 'ordinary' smart cities in South Africa and India. |
Impact | On 27 April 2018, Federico Caprotti was invited to provide feedback, and present insights from the SMART-ECO project, at the SNSF Ordinary Smart Cities project meeting held at King's College London, as part of his invited role as advisory panel member |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Federico Caprotti was asked to be an advisor to a Swiss National Science Foundation project on smart cities in India and South Africa |
Organisation | University of Neuchatel |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Federico Caprotti was asked to be an advisor to a Swiss National Science Foundation project on smart cities in India and South Africa. This resulted from the outputs produced by the SMART-ECO project. The contributions have included invitations to speak and provide feedback at project meetings for the SNSF project. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners hold the SNSF project, and have contributed knowledge and expertise which has helped to broaden the field of knowledge and research on 'ordinary' smart cities in South Africa and India. |
Impact | On 27 April 2018, Federico Caprotti was invited to provide feedback, and present insights from the SMART-ECO project, at the SNSF Ordinary Smart Cities project meeting held at King's College London, as part of his invited role as advisory panel member |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | 2-day workshop in Cardiff engaging with a Chinese practitioner audience and postgraduate students |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A 2-day practitioner-policymaker engagement workshop was organised jointly by the project team, Cardiff University, the Cardiff Confucius Institute, and in collaboration with the School of Architecture at Tianjin University, and the UK-China Research Centre for Eco-Cities and Sustainable Development (Cardiff University). The workshop featured 10 invited Chinese planners and policymakers as well as academics from Chinese universities. Participants also included the UK Future Cities Catapult, and UK, European and US academics. It sparked questions, discussions and further engagement. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.smart-eco-cities.org/?p=454 |
Description | A TV interview on Chinese TV covering project research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An interview with SMART-ECO Chinese team members Linjun Xie, May Tan Mullins and Ali Cheshmehzangi was given to the YZTV TV channel (Ningbo, China). The interview covered the award of a Green Talent Award to Linjun Xie, and the research project's research on Ningbo as a case study city. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzMwMDk0NDg0MA==.html?spm=a2h0k.8191407.0.0&from=s1.8-1-1.2 |
Description | A research blog mentioned a project research output |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | A research blog published by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex mentioned a published research output by project team members. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/are-smart-cities-like-mangoes/ |
Description | Article on the project published in Sud Ouest newspaper, France |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A newspaper article based on an interview with Eric Jolivet, who leads the French part of the SMART-ECO consortium, was published in the Sud Ouest newspaper in February 2018. The article covers the SMART-ECO project in detail and was initiated after UK and France consortium members participated in a Bordeaux municipal government workshop on smart cities in February 2018. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.smart-eco-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Eric-Jolivet-Sud-Ouest-12-Feb-2018.pdf |
Description | BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth appearance, April 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Participation on BBC Radio 4 'Costing the Earth' radio programme on eco-cities in China. This sparked discussion and research enquiries. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05r3w3n |
Description | Blog entry in the Urban Big Data Centre blog |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A blog linking the project's work on smart cities to the smart cities focus in the Coronavirus pandemic context was published by a project co-investigator on the Urban Big Data centre blog site |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ubdc.ac.uk/news-media/2020/april/governing-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-the-smart-city/ |
Description | Contact from Citizens UK inviting a project Co-I to talk at a Citizens UK event, following Citizens UK reading a project published output |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A published output by Co-I Joss (in Palgrave Communications, 2018) was read in its Open Access version by someone working for Citizens UK. They then contacted Joss to state that their reading of the piece had been beneficial to their work, and to invite them to a Citizens UK event in May 2018. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Feed-in for a radio programme on smart cities |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | As a result of a project press release as part of the GB Green Week 2018, a request was received to feed-in information to a radio broadcast on Radio Exe. This was carried out on 16 October 2018 by PI Caprotti. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Informational press interview with US-based urban journalism outlet Citiscope |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Federico Caprotti gave an informational interview to Citiscope, a US-based urban development news and commentary platform. The media interview was the result of a project output on the New Urban Agenda being picked up by a Citiscope journalist. The interview led to an article, 6 months later, being published by Citiscope and using the interview material. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Interview with organising body of the 12th (2017) Conference on Urban Development and Planning, China |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Li Yu (Cardiff University, member of the UK part of the SMART-ECO consortium) was interviewed by the organisers of the 12th Conference on Urban Development and Planning, as part of the conference, which was attended by over 2,000 Chinese policymakers and practitioners. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.smart-eco-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/mmexport1501340909472.jpg |
Description | Invited blog post on UGEC Viewpoints blog |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A blog post on smart urbanism was published on UGEC Viewpoints. The blog post was an invited post by UGEC, the international Urbanization and Global Environmental Change organisation based at Arizona State University. The UGEC Viewpoints blog is widely read by academics, postgraduate and research students, and the wider public. The blog post sparked ideas from collaborators about future publications and collaborative research work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://ugecviewpoints.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/research-in-the-invisible-city-challenges-for-knowin... |
Description | Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards. After the talk, I established contacts with another presenter in the same session, including planing to involve this researcher in a UK research team meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Participation at a Future Cities Catapult seminar, London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Attendance at a seminar at the Future Cities Catapult, London, where discussion afterward sparked discussion and an invitation to join an interdisciplinary team working on an FCO Prosperity Fund bid for smart city research in China |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Poster presentation at the Sustainability Summit 2015, Freiburg, Germany |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Poster sparked discussion among scholars, business experts and sustainability leaders. The Mayor of Freiburg enquired about the project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.sustainability-summit.de |
Description | Presentation at the 2017 Eco-Cities World Summit, Melbourne |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Two presentations were delivered by project collaborators from the European and Chinese parts of the SMART-ECO consortium, in two sessions, one on 'Comparing Smart Cities', and one on 'Working with identity and difference'. This sparked discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.ecocity2017.com/wp-content/uploads/ECOCITY-2017-Preliminary-Program-Overview_LR.pdf |
Description | Presentation at the academic-practitioner IAFOR International Conference on the City 2017, Barcelona |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A presentation by three SMART-ECO participants from the Chinese part of the consortium was delivered at the IAFOR International Conference on the City in July 2017. The IAFOR International Conference on the City is an academic-practitioner event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://iafor.org/archives/conference-programmes/global/global-programme-2017.pdf |
Description | Presentation at the planners and policymakers-focused 12th Conference on Urban Development and Planning, Haikou, China |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Talks by two members of the UK one one member of the China part of the SMART-ECO consortium were delivered to the Chinese 12th Conference on Urban Development and Planning, attended by over 2,000 Chinese planners and policymakers. The talks were invited. The talks themselves were delivered to groups of c.150 attending planners and policymakers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.smart-eco-cities.org/?p=343 |
Description | Presentation for a Chinese policymaker and politician delegation at the Town and Country Planning Association |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | In November 2017, a presentation was given to a Chinese senior policymaker and practitioner delegation, hosted by the UK Town and Country Planning Association. The 17 senior policymakers and politicians were from Shandong Province, and included vice-directorof a housing bureau, mayors, deputy mayors, and county mayors. 20 project reports were requested and distributed to participants. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://robertcowley.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/tcpa-planning-and-smart-cities-agenda-13-17-nov-201... |
Description | Press article published following media interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | An informational interview given by Federico Caprotti to Citiscope in February 2017 influenced the publication of a news article on the Citiscope site discussing topics raised following the publication of a project paper output on the New Urban Agenda. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://citiscope.org/story/2017/new-urban-citizen-and-dangers-measurable-city |
Description | Press release requested as part of UK government-organised Green GB Week |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A request was received for a project press release to be issued as part of national activities for the 2018 UK government-organised Green GB Week. A press release was issued on 17 October 2018. The press release was issued by the University of Exeter. It was picked up by the University of Westminster, and also by the International Eco-Cities Initiative, both of which published details of it. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_687781_en.html |
Description | Published output resulted in media coverage in 2019 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A 2019 project publication (Joss et al 2019) involving Co-I Joss and PI Caprotti, as well as NWO Co-I Sengers, was made the focus of an article in industry magazine SmartCitiesWorld. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/smart-cities-news/smart-cities-news/what-makes-these-the-27-smartes... |
Description | Radio interview on USA's most listened to American talk radio show on consumer technology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An interview on smart city topics was given by Dr. Robert Cowley to the Kim Komando Show in November 2017. The Kim Komando Show is the USA's most listened to talk show on consumer technology. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.komando.com |
Description | Side event at the UN World Urban Forum 2018, Kuala Lumpur |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A side event was organised at the 2018 UN World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur. The side event was titled 'What can urban sustainability experiments do?' It attracted an audience of 53, most of whom were policymakers, practitioners, members of third sector organisations and NGOs, researchers and the general public. A total of 85 project reports were disseminated to the audience before, during and after the event. Email communications were received from audience members stating that they had found the side event useful for their own work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.smart-eco-cities.org/?p=609 |
Description | Smart-Eco website in Chinese - website published |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The Smart Eco-Cities website was translated into Chinese, and a Chinese site to mirror the UK site was published on our project website platform. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.smart-eco-cities.org/?lang=zh |
Description | The project was the focus of a 2018 Local Government Chronicle article, which responded to a project press release |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A project press release requested by the UK government as part of the 2018 GB Green Week resulted in the Local Government Chronicle publishing an article on the project's findings relating to smart cities and citizenship, and their relevance to plans for UK smart cities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/devolution-and-economic-growth/without-increased-civic-participatio... |