The past year and a half has been rife with challenges and uncertainty, causing untold suffering the world over. While it’s been important to reflect on and acknowledge these hardships, I’ve also found solace in focusing on the small yet meaningful positives that have emerged in my own life. Some of the most important shifts have been the opportunity to spend more time at home with my children during the weekdays and being able to walk my dog every single day, rather than only on the weekend.
Good research is reliant on good data sets. An obvious statement, perhaps, but in our line of work it’s an important sentiment to emphasise. Not only is it impossible to draw useful conclusions from bad data sets, but at worst, it can be harmful and even dangerous to use data which is skewed. It’s therefore critical that we always strive to create high quality data sets that are as closely representative of the groups we're studying as possible. Of course, there will always be some degree of error in using a sample (or smaller sub-group of people) to represent a full group or population, but with the right techniques we can reduce these errors so that they have minimal effect.
Despite this May being one of the wettest on record, we didn’t let the gloomy skies bring us down. We had a bright month at DG Cities, which included experimenting with virtual reality technology, submitting an exciting new bid and meeting with the team (in person!) to visit our new office. But before we wave goodbye to this soggy month and welcome what looks to be a much sunnier June, we’re rounding up the biggest developments and achievements from our May at DG Cities.
Our cities are facing acute environmental and social challenges that require immediate action. And while there is an urgency to address these issues right now, this work should not be interpreted as a short-term undertaking. Building more resilient, accessible and smarter cities will require sustained action and passion, which means that those who come after us will need to continue carrying out this critical work.
One of the defining features of DG Cities is our multidisciplinary approach to tackling the changes and challenges faced by urban areas. Our team is made up of experts with backgrounds cutting across sectors, ranging from architects and engineers to technologists and transport planners. These unique and wide-ranging perspectives allow for a whole-city approach to urban innovation…
One of the key challenges for organisations when electrifying their fleets is to install an adequate charging network to support their new vehicles. This charging happens at depot sites, where vehicles park out-of-use, mostly overnight. This approach, however, only works well if the depot has a power supply capacity that matches the needs of an electric fleet. Whilst it is usually possible to install a few charge points to support a couple of electric vehicles, most depots need a large power supply upgrade before meeting the demands of a large electric fleet. This is very costly, and there has not seemed to be a good alternative, until now.
As another Earth Day has come and gone, the world is again reminded of the urgency of the climate crisis. It is one of the most pressing priorities of our lifetime, and this decade in particular will be critical for tackling the emergency. Energy plays an enormous role in contributing to climate change, as do urban areas, with over two-thirds of the world’s energy being consumed by cities…
We have another March under our belts and it’s beginning to feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. With warmer weather on the horizon, lockdown restrictions easing and more jabs being had, there is a palpable sense of hope in the city. Today, we’re looking back on the past month here at DG Cities, taking stock of the conversations, events and public engagement activities that are fuelling us with the excitement (and hope) we need as we wait for the world to open up again.
I’ve returned to DG Cities after a year of maternity leave, though things are certainly looking a little different from how I left it. While I acclimatise to zoom meetings and pixelated versions of my colleagues’ faces, I will say that I’m eager for the day we can all return to the office. There’s not yet a set date in mind, but, as the country begins its gradual climb towards normalcy, I hope that reality isn’t too far off.
