In Prospect's guide to the big ideas that will shape debate in 2014, we noted the growing interest among political theorists and policymakers in cities as both engines of economic growth and sites of political power and participation. Although eight cities outside London currently deliver 27 per cent of England's wealth, it's clear they could be doing even better. And the key to that, many argue, is a devolution of power from the centre that would hand our cities a degree of fiscal autonomy. Jim O'Neill, the former Goldman Sachs economist who now chairs the City Growth Commission, told us: "If you look at some of the most successful economies in the world, where many cities play a critical role, they enjoy some degree of independence over their finances and policy choices…" (O'Neill returned to these themes in a recent Prospect roundtable. You can listen to the audio of the event here.)
Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP who is overseeing his party's policy review, struck a similar note in a speech on power, democracy and devolution delivered earlier this year. "In a global world," he said, "it is the local that will be the agent of political change." And we can expect Lord Adonis's Growth Review, which is due to report soon, to arrive at comparable conclusions.
Some local politicians offer a more technocratic vision of urban renewal. A good example is this blast of breathless boosterism from Richard Leese, leader of the council in Jim O'Neill's hometown, Manchester: "For innovation to flourish it needs the best possible infrastructure, whether it's a radically better public transport system or the highest quality, next generation digital infrastructure to give Greater Manchester a competitive edge… Next generation broadband with ultra-fast connection speeds is being provided to 500 businesses and 1,000 homes and businesses in Manchester's Oxford Road area – known as Corridor Manchester – in a pilot scheme which, it is intended, will roll out across the city. This is about taking a lead rather than waiting for the market."
I suspect Drew Hemment, the artist and CEO of the Manchester-based "innovation lab" FutureEverything, had this kind of thing in mind when he wrote the following in his introduction to Smart Citizens, a report launched in October 2013 at the Open Government Partnership Summit: "An industry is growing up around a vision of the 'Smart City', predicted to be worth more than $20bn in annual market value by 2020. But a growing number of voices now argue this vision is flawed and will not deliver the civic or economic benefits it claims… [T]he 'Smart City' vision is shaped by providers of big technology, who are not attuned to bottom-up innovation, or the messy, disruptive ways that people use technology. It is a vision shaped around the need of the suppliers, and by the mindset of top-down master planning."
From today, until 1st April, Hemment will be overseeing the Future Everything Festival in Manchester, one of the aims of which is to conjure alternative visions of an urban digital future. When I spoke to Hemment earlier this week, he told me that the focus of the festival is on "supporting bottom-up creativity, empowerment, enabling citizens to have more say in their cities, supporting creative communities and innovation." What does all that mean, exactly? Tonight, Hemment announced a concrete example of the strategy, a collaboration with the tech company Intel that is intended to "create a new grass roots open data community of citizens capturing and sharing data on their local environment." The festival organisers will be distributing 25 "Smart Citizen" packs to developers at the festival, while Intel is donating five "super sensor" boards to "science and innovation institutions" across the city.
"The vision for the Manchester project," Hemment said, "is that everybody is able to shape the fate of their own city…" What's interesting is that he should be collaborating with one of those "providers of big technology" in order to make that possible.
Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP who is overseeing his party's policy review, struck a similar note in a speech on power, democracy and devolution delivered earlier this year. "In a global world," he said, "it is the local that will be the agent of political change." And we can expect Lord Adonis's Growth Review, which is due to report soon, to arrive at comparable conclusions.
Some local politicians offer a more technocratic vision of urban renewal. A good example is this blast of breathless boosterism from Richard Leese, leader of the council in Jim O'Neill's hometown, Manchester: "For innovation to flourish it needs the best possible infrastructure, whether it's a radically better public transport system or the highest quality, next generation digital infrastructure to give Greater Manchester a competitive edge… Next generation broadband with ultra-fast connection speeds is being provided to 500 businesses and 1,000 homes and businesses in Manchester's Oxford Road area – known as Corridor Manchester – in a pilot scheme which, it is intended, will roll out across the city. This is about taking a lead rather than waiting for the market."
I suspect Drew Hemment, the artist and CEO of the Manchester-based "innovation lab" FutureEverything, had this kind of thing in mind when he wrote the following in his introduction to Smart Citizens, a report launched in October 2013 at the Open Government Partnership Summit: "An industry is growing up around a vision of the 'Smart City', predicted to be worth more than $20bn in annual market value by 2020. But a growing number of voices now argue this vision is flawed and will not deliver the civic or economic benefits it claims… [T]he 'Smart City' vision is shaped by providers of big technology, who are not attuned to bottom-up innovation, or the messy, disruptive ways that people use technology. It is a vision shaped around the need of the suppliers, and by the mindset of top-down master planning."
From today, until 1st April, Hemment will be overseeing the Future Everything Festival in Manchester, one of the aims of which is to conjure alternative visions of an urban digital future. When I spoke to Hemment earlier this week, he told me that the focus of the festival is on "supporting bottom-up creativity, empowerment, enabling citizens to have more say in their cities, supporting creative communities and innovation." What does all that mean, exactly? Tonight, Hemment announced a concrete example of the strategy, a collaboration with the tech company Intel that is intended to "create a new grass roots open data community of citizens capturing and sharing data on their local environment." The festival organisers will be distributing 25 "Smart Citizen" packs to developers at the festival, while Intel is donating five "super sensor" boards to "science and innovation institutions" across the city.
"The vision for the Manchester project," Hemment said, "is that everybody is able to shape the fate of their own city…" What's interesting is that he should be collaborating with one of those "providers of big technology" in order to make that possible.
