Digital technology and resilient communities

Using digital technology to create resilient neighborhoods in Chicago’s

South Side

Nicola Bacon & Saffron Woodcraft Workshop 1: July 18, 2012

Social Life is a new venture set up in 2012, with a strong heritage.

We continue to build neighborhoods that fail to thrive as flourishing communities and struggle finding ways to revive failing areas.

This is a global issue.

We believe we can learn from both the mistakes, and the hopes, of the past.

Where are the people?

Our approach: putting people at the heart of placemaking

How can digital technology boost community resilience?

Resilience

Our first question: what is a community?

A UK mainstream version: defining a sustainable community Source: Egan review 2004

A US version: what makes a successful place? Source: Project for Public Spaces

But what about… •  A sense of identity: a place people feel they

belong •  Local history, myths & stories •  Strong social relationships, networks & bonds •  Trusting the neighbors •  Rituals and rhythms •  Physical boundaries to promote geographical

identity •  Visible leadership

Stuck vs dynamic?

What is resilience? •  The ordinary superpower… •  Resilience is the ability of a

person, group or community to bounce back in the face of adversity

•  Adaptability matters for individuals, families, communities and cities

•  Good and bad happens everywhere

•  Resilience is not static: it can be changed.

Survival resilience vs adaptive resilience

What interventions build resilience? Full of life: tested in Brixton and Kingston in London, peer to peer learning, using volunteers trained by experts

Wellbeing and resilience in Poplar, East London

From UK national statistics, what influences our resilience

1.  Friends/family around for drink or meal + 2.  Ability to face problems + 3.  Regular savings + 4.  Regularly stop and talk with people in my neighbourhood + 5.  Felt you could not overcome difficulties - 6.  Felt downhearted and depressed - 7.  Subjective financial situation – current - 8.  Level of education + 9.  Enjoy day-to-day activities + 10.  Unemployed or long term sick or disabled - 11.  Subjective financial situation – future - 12.  Employed + From Young Foundation analysis of UK Understanding Society survey (unpublished)

From UK national statistics, what influences our resilience

1.  Friends/family around for drink or meal + 2.  Ability to face problems + 3.  Regular savings + 4.  Regularly stop and talk with people in my neighbourhood + 5.  Felt you could not overcome difficulties - 6.  Felt downhearted and depressed - 7.  Subjective financial situation – current - 8.  Level of education + 9.  Enjoy day-to-day activities + 10.  Unemployed or long term sick or disabled - 11.  Subjective financial situation – future - 12.  Employed + From Young Foundation analysis of UK Understanding Society survey (unpublished)

Emotional

Social

Structural

* Enjoy day-to-day activities * Ability to face problems * Regular savings * Felt you could not overcome difficulties * Felt downhearted & depressed * Subjective financial situation

* Friends/family around for drink or meal * Regularly stop and talk with people in my neighborhood

* Level of education * Unemployed or long term sick or disabled * Employed

How do we build community resilience?

Emotional

Social

Structural What can we change?

Emotional

Social

Structural

Open up opportunities, increase confidence

Increase wellbeing, hope, optimism, reduce isolation, depression

Emotional

Social

Structural

Open up opportunities, increase confidence

Increase wellbeing, isolation, hope, optimism

We increase resilience through: •  Increasing access to

opportunity •  Boosting local

leadership •  Building identity and

belonging •  Creating and

strengthening local social networks and neighborliness

Digital Technology & Resilience

Emotional

Social

Structural

Open up opportunities, increase confidence

Increase wellbeing, hope, optimism, reduce isolation, depression

How can technology help build community resilience?

•  Increase access to opportunity •  Boost local leadership •  Build identity and belonging •  Create and strengthen local social

networks and neighborliness •  And that these can all boost

community resilience

We know technology can

•  It can support community development – but

•  It relies on people to connect other people (time, resources, support) to the opportunities technology can create

•  It needs to be integrated into place-based strategies for improving opportunities and quality of life in communities

But it is a tool, not an end in itself

•  Many community technology projects fail because they lack people to make them accessible & relevant

•  They need to be part of a wider strategy about addressing community development

•  But also respond to a specific local need •  Some of the most effective examples involve

community, intermediary and city stakeholders

What works?

How is digital technology being used to boost resilience?

Expanding access to technology centers, broadband, training and digital literacy.

Everyday digital skills training, family net centers, business resource networks, community portals, youth engagement & youth.

Online/mobile access to information about opportunities (jobs, training, welfare services).

Local news and information and discussion forums.

Spaces to discuss local needs and generate new ideas.

Tools for placemaking and community engagement.

Citizen reporting and accountability.

Tools for mapping issues and local problems.

1.  Violence 2.  Reviving the Main Street 3.  Social isolation 4.  Empty spaces 5.  Leadership and unity

Voting on issues

Next steps

1.  Second workshop: July 19 2.  Presentation shared with workshop teams: July

20 3.  Summary of feedback from workshops 1 & 2

shared with workshop teams: early August 4.  Progress on how ideas are to be developed

shared with workshop teams: on-going

social-life.co nicola.bacon@social-life.co saffron.woodcraft@social-life.co