Urban Evolution, Consultation and Smarter Cities (Hammerson need not apply)

Coventry: click for Guardian web site

"Imaginative partnerships between the public and private sectors, led by local authorities, are essential to the delivery of innovative 'smart cities' of the future."

[Our comment: Hammerson has been in an "imaginative partnership" at Brent Cross 
- so they don't always turn out well!
On the other hand, Hammerson always did the leading, 
never Barnet, and paid for virtually everything.]

Another Guardian article

"This summer Coventry, in the West Midlands, hit on a novel way of using technology to the gather opinions of its residents. [sic - Grauniad error!]

"In conjunction with IBM it held a three-day mass online conversation – called CovJam – [with five forums] between some 3,000 residents, politicians and council officers.

"[Using the local authority's 'Inform, Consult, Involve' framework] the ideas that emerged from this discussion are now being used to reshape the authority's sustainable communities strategy."

[Our comment: 
Barnet doesn't do 'Conversation'.
Or Inform.
Or Consult.
Or Involve.]

And a warning from history.