PUBLIC REALM & URBAN SPACES Smart Class 2022

“Enhanced People Focussed Environments through Intelligent Lighting and Temporary Greening and Seating Measures” – In this keynote presentation, Clarisse Tavin, Group Manager – Major Programmes and Projects, from the Policy and Projects Division at the City of London, will discuss 2 major pieces of work that she’s developing in the Square Mile:

• The innovative City Lighting Strategy is the first borough wide Lighting Strategy in London and provides full and flexible control of the LED fittings. Remotely operated lighting complements the look of historic buildings, improves energy usage and helps tackle light pollution. The Strategy developed with Speirs Mayor Architecture Light looks at a shift of thinking in celebrating and balancing light and darkness. Clarisse will explore how smart lighting technology can be used to provide enhanced and more flexible lighting after dark, improve the environmental impact as well as health & wellbeing, and protect wild life – without compromising safety and security.

• Parklets and the Greening and Seating measures delivered during the pandemic to support social distancing and businesses in making the City more welcoming as well as providing a flexible outdoor space. Clarisse will explain how providing safer spaces and a welcoming environment for people walking and dwelling in the City can contribute to supporting businesses in their return to work, and the City’s post-pandemic recovery.

“SHIFT: London’s Living Testbed and Building the World’s 1st ‘Inclusive Innovation District’ at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park” – Global climate, economic and social crises present an imminent and unprecedented threat to our towns and cities. But with every challenge comes the opportunity to innovate. SHIFT’s mission is to bring people together to find solutions to these challenges and build better, healthier and more sustainable cities for future generations – and it’s aiming to do so using the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as a living testbed.

10 years on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the creation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has seen world class sporting and entertainment venues built, new neighbourhoods and business districts erected and inhabited, and unrivalled award winning parklands planted. The setting at the Park includes 560 acres of the perfect blend of public realm, roads and cycle paths, rivers and canals – largely under public ownership and management which presents the opportunity to trial new technology and products that can improve our collective experience of the city.

Shift is the Park’s innovation programme and collective of world-leading organisations, thinkers and creatives who are united by a shared vision to tackle global crises and improve the future of urban living for all. Founding partners include University College London (UCL), University of the Arts London (UAL), London College of Fashion, Loughborough University in London, Lendlease, Here East, Plexal and the London Legacy Development Corporation.

By combining resources, expertise and networks, Shift aims to attract global investment to Stratford, turbocharge innovation and find solutions to local problems that can be scaled up and applied globally. At the heart of SHIFT’s approach is the public/communities and sustainable outcomes are at the heart of innovation. The key focus areas are response to the climate emergency in cities, health and wellbeing and transport of people and goods. This keynote from Francesca Colloca – Head of Innovation – SHIFT for the London Legacy Development Corporation – will detail the approach to inclusive innovation and highlight some of the key innovation trials happening on the Park.

“Growth, Drivers for Change and the Importance of Public Realm for City Centres: A Case Study of Central Milton Keynes – Practice and Opportunities” – Given drivers for change such as the covid pandemic, sustainability, health and wellbeing, and changes to the way we shop, the need for high quality public realm within city centres plays an increasingly critical role. This keynote from Neil Sainsbury, Head of Placemaking at Milton Keynes Council, will outline how the significant forecast growth for the city provides an additional key role for high quality public realm, not only to address these drivers for change but to support and provide for this growth. The presentation will explore existing ideas and proposals provided by developers as well as Milton Keynes Council and will also outline unique opportunities presented within Central Milton Keynes to repurpose existing public realm.

Neil’s presentation will provide examples of ‘smart’ street furniture in the city centre and show how a public realm handbook will bring clarity to what is required within the bulk of the boulevards, gates and streets. Neil will also outline the work his team are currently undertaking with transport colleagues to design a smart mobility hub along one of the main CMK boulevards and explain how this could act as a prelude to wider transformation of the same boulevard.

“Bright and Connected Public Spaces” – Hear from Matthew Kelley and the team at Brightly how, through the use of IoT, councils are able to create connected systems which deliver better outcomes for the communities they serve.

With examples ranging from street lighting and litter bins to fibre networks, through to connecting service users to assets operating in their community, this presentation will explore how you can enable Smarter Assets to deliver Sustainable Communities.

“Lewisham Town Centre Regeneration – A Holistic Approach to Public Realm” – Leo Hammond and Daria Kaczorowska from the Landscape and Urban Design Team at Project Centre, together with Seamus Adams Head of Commercial Operations and Development at Lewisham Council, will be showcasing their approach to designing the public realm within Lewisham Town Centre across a range of scales.

Project Centre and Lewisham Council have been developing a holistic approach to the public realm through commissions at three different scales for Lewisham Market, Lewisham High Street and an overarching Urban Design Strategy. With Lewisham undergoing significant growth in terms of population and status, as recognised in the London Plan which identifies the town centre as having the potential to be of Metropolitan Importance, the projects re-examine the focus, fabric and role of an inner city town centre. Drawing on the history and pipeline of new development, Leo, Daria and Seamus will be sharing their experience and knowledge about:

• Engaging with diverse local communities and businesses
• Collaborating with local stakeholders and land owners
• Quick wins
• Art and culture
• Creating an urban design vision and masterplan
• Public realm visioning including: biodiversity gain and green grid, air quality improvements and carbon net zero
• Funding

“The Business Case for Smart Street Lighting”– In this presentation, Telensa will explore the business case for moving to smart streetlights, drawing on their considerable deployment experience.

Richard will examine both the qualitative and quantitative benefits that connecting streetlights to central management software can offer a council and consider how the shift to this technology is now considered mainstream.