ADD2480 Sharing Cities – Feasibility study for Digital Districts

1.1 In September 2015, the European Commission (EC) awarded the GLA and a consortium of 34 European partners a grant award to deliver the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Smart Cities and Communities” Lighthouse Project” programme, Sharing Cities. This five-year programme supports the implementation and integration of very near-to-market smart city technologies and systems, to maximise their benefit in demonstrator areas and prove their replicability across wider city environments.

1.2 MD1574 approved the GLA’s acceptance of the grant award (€24,988,759 - €2.4m of funding was awarded for specific GLA activities) from the European Commission for the coordination and delivery of the ‘Sharing Cities’ programme.

1.3 The project aims to develop, deploy and integrate replicable solutions in the energy, transport, data and ICT sectors in each of the three lead cities of London, Milan, and Lisbon. A further three ‘follower’ cities - Burgas, Bordeaux and Warsaw are actively involved with the three lead cities to validate city service designs and implement a number of specific solutions.

1.4 A total of €24,988,759 has been awarded by the European Commission to the consortium with €2.4m of funding awarded for specific GLA activities, €2.7m to the Royal Borough of Greenwich (RBG) and €1.3m to other London partners.

1.5 The programme aims to implement a number of measures in each of the ‘lighthouse’ cities. These include:

• Smart Lampposts – integrated smart lighting with other smart service infrastructures (eV charge; smart parking; traffic sensing; flow data; WiFi etc);

• Shared eMobility – a portfolio of inter-connected initiatives supporting the shift to low carbon shared mobility solutions, specifically: eV Car-Sharing; e-Bikes; eV Charging; Smart Parking; eLogistics;

• Integrated Energy Management System – system to integrate and optimise energy from all sources in districts (and interface with city-wide system); including demand response measures; and

• Urban Sharing Platform (USP) – a data platform to manage data from a wide range of sources including sensors as well as traditional statistics; built using common principles, open technologies and standards.

1.6 Following implementation in the programme’s demonstration areas, the programme is now working to scale up and replicate in other boroughs and cities. In order to do this, plans have been developed for a new programme of work that builds on the learning from Sharing Cities and continues with the district-based approach to deploying new and innovative technologies. This programme will create a partnership that provides coordination, investment and expertise in order to deliver a pipeline of innovation in smart and digital infrastructure. We will design and test city-needs led solutions in innovation districts, implement at scale in smart districts, and then leverage private investment to scale up what works across London, to the benefit of Londoners.

1.7 Strategically, the programme will be:

• Citizen focused - We will put the citizen at the centre of how we design and deploy technology on our streets;

• Outcome-led - Demonstrate an approach to commissioning smart tech that focuses on identifying local needs first, not solutions;

• Collaborative - Establish long lasting public / private / academic partnerships that can codesign solutions to common challenges; and

• Market shaping - Help the city to recover from the pandemic by accelerating growth in the smart city marketplace and standardising an approach to smart tech.

1.8 The programme will seek to secure significant inward investment for smart and digital infrastructure that meets the needs of the city to do the following:

• extensive citizen engagement;

• develop long standing public, private and academic partnerships;

• identify city needs and engage with the market;

• design and test solutions that solve needs;

• process manage the innovation life cycle;

• aggregate demand in London;

• launch challenge funds;

• engage with investors and secure investment;

• grow city-to-city learning; and

• market and promote the eco-system.

1.9 The initial concept for this programme was submitted to HM Treasury as part of our Comprehensive Spending Review submission. Since then the Smart London Team have done further work to build this concept into a proposal and explore a range of funding sources that might be open to this concept. We are now at the stage where we need to conduct a feasibility study to establish how viable this proposal is and what funding sources are available to enable the GLA to make a ‘go / no-go’ decision on this proposal. The objectives and expected outcomes of this initial study are detailed in section 2.

1.10 Funding for this feasibility had been identified as part of the Sharing Cities scale-up budget, at no cost to the GLA.

2.1 To commission a feasibility study into the ‘Digital Districts’ programme concept. The feasibility study will explore the following in depth:

• Project scope - Clearly define the project scope, what is the opportunity we are addressing and is our theory of change correct?

• Market analysis – what is the current state of London's smart city marketplace? What baseline are we starting from and what change could we expect as a result of this project?

• Literature Review/Horizon Scanning – what has been done in London before (if not as a whole idea, its components – where, when, how). This will feed into a business case for bringing these elements together.

• Requirements – What resources and capabilities will this project require and where would we source them from? In particular…

• Investment – What would an Enabling Fund and an Investment Fund look like, what sources are available and how would we best approach establishing them?

• Project approach – Further develop our project approach to ensure it is practical, achievable and will deliver benefits for partners.

• Evaluation –What would be the estimated total costs of this project, providing options, and is this approach cost effective?

• Review – Based on the above, is this project feasible and what is the recommendation to the GLA?

2.2 The Intelligence Team would be unable to carry out this feasibility work internally due to operational capacity and capability. However, the market for this type of work is vibrant, and there are multiple organisations who would be capable, some of whom we have previous experience of working with. In accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code, three written quotes to undertake this study will be invited.

2.3 Upon receipt of this study the GLA will be able to make a decision in regard to whether the GLA is content to progress this programme proposal to the next stage of planning.

3.1 The public-sector equality duty requires the identification and evaluation of the likely potential impacts, both Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the “Equality Act”) as public authorities, the Mayor and the GLA must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act comprise age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status. No particular effects of this proposed decision, positive or negative, are foreseen on persons with a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

3.2 The programme’s aims of introducing innovations in technology and improving the use of data are presenting new ways of meeting peoples' needs in urban landscapes. These technologies have the potential to transform the efficiency of city operations; city-level decision making; and the relationships with people and businesses to improve sustainability; while at the same time addressing resource pressures faced by communities and authorities.

3.3 An increased emphasis on technological solutions can have positive impacts on people with protected characteristics. Green buildings and improved infrastructure will cut carbon emissions, and alongside information about NOx emissions will improve health outcomes for Londoners. Smart-parking, self-driving cars and e-bike services can specifically support people with certain disabilities, while access to shared vehicles can increase mobility for those on low incomes.

4.1 The project directly contributes to the delivery of the Mayor’s key strategic objectives of the Smarter London Roadmap which aims to solve London’s environment challenges by bringing together people, technology and data.

4.2 A range of internal stakeholders have been consulted on this concept including the Mayoral Development Corporations, Boroughs, Chief Digital Officer and the Smart London Board. Furthermore, TfL procurement have been consulted on this proposal and the procurement process proposed is in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.

4.3 GLA Officers are not aware of any conflicts of interest in the drafting of this form nor any others that may undermine the award of this work.

5.1 Assistant Director’s approval is sought for expenditure of up to £25,000 to procure an organisation to conduct a feasibility study on the ‘Digital Districts’ programme.

5.2 This expenditure of £25,000 will occur in 2020-21 and will be fully funded from European Commission income that funds the H2020 Sharing Cities programme within Strategy, Intelligence and Analysis unit part of Strategy and Communications Directorate.