- Is there anyway it could make money? could a group take it on for 12 months, run an enterprise club and see what happens? could they be given a council contract to get them started - like to set up a new cleaning firm co-owned, or a river taxi scheme or a .......... could york businesses mentor them? I'm sure they'd be interested people to help (including me).
- Could you put a broadband connection in, get a few ex-council laptops and use it as a skills-share place (like learn direct). make it really informal, make sure it wasn't set on fire, but take some risks and make it an interesting working space?
- Could you start with a list of things that you currently see as problems and put them together with whatever they need. Its currently costing you £............ would you be prepared to use the money in a different way. you could get a grant for a skatepark, or photography workshop so long as the council was prepared to help out.
my 2p..
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On community groups - some of this work has been going on, but a real link between community & technology sectors would help it along..
- So YorkCVS has open communication methods - anything of genuine use to community groups can go out in their newsletter, just email their newsletterhttp://www.yorkcvs.org.uk/voluntary-voice.
- There's a google map of voluntary orgs in York http://g.co/maps/4wa58.
- They also has the most followed charity support org in the UK on twitter- and there have been been social media surgeries in the city since 2009.
- There are charity forums on all sorts of topics that run, so if you have something for them get it on the agenda.. http://www.yorkcvs.org.uk/ycvs-groups
- There's also a map (connected york) that is supposed to show the relationship between the statutory and third sectors http://www.connectedyork.org.uk/style/networkMap.png but will need changing when the LSP changes..
Maybe some of the stuff you're suggesting Anthony (sounds great) could be done through the York digital divide strategy..? (and btw - I used to work at yorkcvs..!)
In terms of the asset map, TIDAL leeds have done a very low-fi mapping zone of people who can contribute anything - to create geographically close people who are willing to lend a hand to get something started.
Twitter does a similar thing of course.. ;-)
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My work has got a staff volunteering day on the 29th feb with some brilliant people, but to make the most of these existing opportunities I think we need to get much better at mapping the demand side of underused assets (physical or otherwise). Obviously councils opening up data is a great start, but we need more people-led-possibility. This is something Our Society is leading on nationally and I'd like to do something like Community Lovers Guide for York, to maximise existing good things (hint - if anyone wants to do one let me know!)
Also controversially I'm not sure councils are the best people to lead these things. Somewhere like headingley development trust (which is a model which would replicate really well in york) are only able to mobilise with volunteer and community support - something a local authority in probably unable to amass in the same scale..
Or this.. http://www.somewhereto.com Challenge #2 - Aiding vulnerable people
The Good Gym is an example of meeting two seemingly opposing needs: people's need for exercise with others need for company.. http://www.thegoodgym.org(don't have much to say on this)
Challenge #3 - Improving relationships with business
Money for social value already exists - normally through small grant funders, but doesn't fulfil the whole need. Using procurement to start new things, strengthen ideas or give backing to things that are going to take some time is a great idea. Start by releasing info on £5,000 contracts (this is ridiculously difficult right now) and let the info seep out. Give it some public transparency without making it into the full blown participatory budgeting process. keep it simple, keep it quick and you'll get some different ideas coming through..For my 2p, I'd recommend this article on pro-social procurement..https://socialenterprise.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2...
Or http://bristolpound.org
Challenge #4 - Utilising footfall & transport
Some interesting ideas from the States - and some potential stats on the economic benefits of doing transport differently..? http://t4america.org/blog/2011/02/04/new-report-shows-the-job-creat...Here's some case studies from other cities who have revalmped transport systems all over the world (complete with glossy brochures and pretty people laughing!): http://inhabitat.com/our-cities-ourselves-ten-global-cities-redesig...
And i remember going to Bilbao a couple of years ago and being reall impressed with the joined up BilboBus branding, co-ordination (and high public subsidies).. http://www.bilbao.net
Sheffield Transport hack days..? http://opendata.thegisthub.net/2011/03/transport-hack-day-datasets
One last thing - with a population of 6 million people on the York to Liverpool route (give or take) it has always seemed ridiculous to me that we let the Pennines stand in the way of decent transport infrastructure - but that might be too much..!
The Portas 'Town Team' Pilot Scheme
Parts of the Portas reviwe was about how we use our spaces to live, not just as a place for financial transactions. So i think the interesting question for me is "how can we let anyone do what they want in our city or How can we bring poosibility back into public spaces..?"
- Playful Leeds are looking at the cultural offer (again breaking this idea of us solely as consumers but more of pro-sumers)
- We are your emporium is a social enterprise looking at getting more people a stake in retail by offering spaces for rent in a Mickelgate shop.
- Bishopthorpe is well worth looking at simply because it has its own home-grown identity - something that might fit with the micklegate quarter etc..
There's lots of good stuff here on street design from Leith in Edinburgh: basically how we design our streets is how people use them.
Cycle lanes, traffic flow, city planning for idiots. worth a read and watch..http://www.greenerleith.org/greener-leith-news/2012/3/14/still-want
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