London aims for ‘European digital capital’

The UK capital has set its sights on being the “digital capital of Europe”, according to a director at the Greater London Authority.

Mark Kleinman, director of economic and business policy, told delegates at the Open Innovation 2.0 conference in Dublin of the city’s great ambitions to fully develop into a smart city. He described the investment in technology as a “key priority for the mayor and the future of London” as the city grows to an estimated 9.8 million people by 2030.

Kleinman also alluded to the importance of giving more power to the GLA and how “national governments can sometimes hinder rather than help” in helping to become a new smart city. The director also spoke about the continued need for a dialogue with Londoners regarding sensing technology and the importance of allaying any concerns. Smart city developments would be in addition to major new infrastructure projects, such as Crossrail 2, which will run north-south across the city.

During the session entitled ‘The Internet of Things & Smart Cities’, delegates also heard from David Boundy, research manager at Intel Labs Europe, who outlined the sensing developments introduced in San José, California.  The pilot programme in the capital of Silicon Valley is Intel’s first smart city implementation in the United States and is intended to improve air and water quality, reduce noise pollution, and increase transportation efficiency. The project is a result of the developments and progress made in Dublin, which is also developing into a smart city.

The conference was held at The Convention Centre in the Irish capital and was attended by Horizon 2020 Projects.