Imperial expertise helps shape plans for a digitally smarter London

New 'Smart London Plan' reveals how we can tackle London's future challenges by harnessing the power of digital technologies.

Adapted from a news release from the Mayor of London's Office

A team of experts advising the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority, chaired by Imperial's Professor David Gann CBE -- Vice President (Development and Innovation), have set out a vision to transform London into a digital world leader.

The 'Smart London Plan', unveiled by the Mayor of London today, sets out how he intends to use digital expertise to tackle challenges posed by the city's increasing growth and includes plans to turn Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park into one of the world's leading digital environments. The aim is to use the Park as a testing ground for the use of new digital technology with transport systems and energy services.

The Mayor's office estimates that the population of London is expected to approach 10 million by 2030 leading to greater demand for jobs, housing and transport. It is anticipated that there will be added challenges around dealing with increasing waste and meeting extra pressure on healthcare and energy supplies.  

The Mayor of London on a previous visit to Imperial

Earlier this year the Mayor appointed a board of experts, chaired by Professor David Gann CBE and including Professor John Polak from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with the brief of establishing how technology and innovation can be used to meet those challenges head on. The 'Smart London' plan released today is the first detailed assessment of how the Mayor will achieve that.

The Smart London Plan proposes:

• Establishing a Smart London Innovation Network that will bring London's entrepreneurs and innovators with the organisations already delivering and financing London's new infrastructure and services.
• Launching a Smart London Innovation Challenge that will ask entrepreneurs, researchers, businesses and Londoners to develop creative solutions to challenges posed by the growth of the capital.
• Increasing the uptake of computer science in the capital's schools and doubling the number of businesses taking on technology apprenticeships.
• Ensuring London has one of the fastest wireless networks in the world.
• Working with London's boroughs on 'smart approaches' to shared challenges through freeing London's local level data and scaling up innovations across London.
• Creating a 'Smart London' export programme that will sell London's expertise to the world.

Professor David Gann CBE (pictured left) said:
"London is better placed than other global cities to exploit current technological innovations to improve the way we live, work and play. Our world-class universities, Tech City cluster and pioneering citizens endow the capital with a peerless combination of specialist talent. The Smart London Plan provides the leadership we need to secure London's future for next generation digital infrastructure to create a smarter city. We cannot afford to stand still. Londoners get that, businesses need it, and the Mayor is taking action to deliver it."

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
"London is blessed with an extraordinary array of digital expertise. We have more tech firms than any other European city and this plan is about using that talent to ensure that we are able to respond to the amazing increase in population that is happening here. I want to harness the extraordinary creativity and technical prowess of our IT wizards to ensure we miss no opportunity to use intelligent technology to maintain London's claim as the world's number one city."

Find out more about the Smart London Plan

Londoners are invited to submit their ideas and feedback concerning the plan online at www.talk.london.gov.uk/smart-london.