I went to a debate recently at the Icon Eastside building entitled ‘Digbeth: Past Present and Future’ and some interesting points were raised about how virtual mobility and connectivity can be a means of redeveloping and area both socially and economically. Members from the council were pitching their proposal to turn Birmingham into a ‘Digital City’ and Digbeth into a ‘Digital District’, in partnership with the big city plan. The idea is that by providing areas with state of the art information and communication technology, businesses are attracted into otherwise unappealing areas. So for example the buildings in Digbeth could be connected with the highest possible internet connections, which would attract businesses into the area, attract more footfall and kick start the development of an area that is, in the words of one of the audience members, ‘going down, down, down’. The appealing feature of this idea for me is that minimal physical intervention is needed and so with delicate design tweaks an area can be transformed. The historical fabric of the area remains yet it can be exploited to its full potential. The member from the council quoted other areas such as Amsterdam, Berlin and Barcelona where this method has been used successfully.
Do you think this works as a means of developing areas or is it simply a tool that needs to be applied to an area that is already developed?
A debate will also be taking place at fazeley studios next week discussing the potential of the ‘Digital City’ Some of the discussion topics are listed below
What are the critical success factors of a digital district.
What does a digital district look and feel like elsewhere?
How have digital districts been used to complement the success of established creative quarters?
What has been the experience of digital districts in the recession and what role do they play in boosting economic growth?
How have local authorities in Europe worked with stakeholders such as service providers, SMEs, universities and the local community?
How can Birmingham learn from, and use, the experiences of other European cities?
No comments:
Post a Comment