Co-Creating a City Scale Digital Strategy and Framework: A Systems and Co-Production Approach

Digital technologies have the potential to unlock major social and economic change for the World’s rapidly growing urban populations, creating value through more liveable, healthy and environmentally sustainable cities (McKinsey, 2019; EIP-SCC, 2016). However, this can only happen if city leaders are empowered to make intelligent and informed strategic choices governing how digital systems are commissioned, installed and operated. This pilot study has investigated how collaboration between public authorities, private business and other city stakeholders could enhance the benefits of ‘smart’ digitally enabled infrastructure and other built assets for the benefit of urban populations in UK towns and Cities.

Core to the work has been learning from a live case study comprising the development of a digital strategy for Bristol, led by the City Council and framed around the concept of Bristol’s ‘One City’ or ‘Whole City’ approach. Through a mix of interviews, workshops, attendance at working group meetings and literature review, we’ve investigated how government in the UK’s cities, towns and counties are planning for digital transformation, and as a result, we’ve identified the challenges and barriers faced when seeking to lead and manage the application of rapidly developing digital technologies. This framework, and the learning established during this study, can allow other cities and towns to develop their own digital strategy, to plan the integration of smart technologies into the urban environment more efficiently and effectively, and following a needs-led approach, enhance the potential benefits for their citizens.