Public engagement is a huge part of digital placemaking – and of British government policy around planning and development. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in July 2018, emphasises the importance of meaningful community engagement in delivering healthy, inclusive and safe places where people want to live and…

The rise of digital placemaking has been supported by emerging digital technologies – from smart clothing to city-wide sensor networks – that go beyond the smartphone. But while conversations around technological possibility are important, larger ethical questions have come to the fore. There are groundbreaking developments in the Internet of…

Strolling down the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street can be a frenetic experience at the best of times. In 2017, however, you could have peeled off for a break on Bird Street – a tiny backstreet tucked between Gap and the Doc Martens store – where birds were tweeting and the…

Digital placemaking (noun); The augmentation of physical places with location-specific digital services, products or experiences to create more attractive destinations for all. Successful digital placemaking schemes are designed to reflect the environment and communities they serve – expressing and enhancing the social and cultural value of different places via bespoke…

Relationships between people, places and technology can be explored in a huge number of ways, serving a breadth of sectors. Last month, our Digital Innovation Programme Director Jo Morrison attended three very different events over the course of three days: all of which resonate with the wide-ranging nature and relevance…

Urban regeneration – reviving the underused land and decaying structures that appear in many cities – has become an established force in urban environment planning and placemaking. Emerging in the mid-twentieth century and gathering impetus as concerns about greenfield development continue to rise, the trend toward urban regeneration has seen…

Like ‘smart cities’ and the ‘Internet of Things’ there are multiple ways in which digital placemaking can be interpreted and explained. As digital placemaking is central to what we do, we thought it important to present our own brief definition of the phrase and practice: Digital placemaking (noun); The augmentation…

Digital placemaking has the power to make a physical space come alive in a way that nothing else can. The past can be brought to life, the future can appear before your eyes or you might even find yourself holding a beating human heart in the present. So what does…