What will it take to deliver widespread, environmentally-friendly post-pandemic recovery? Working with local authorities and communities to find new ways of renovating and retrofitting homes for a low carbon future is the priority to finding more bottom-up solutions. Solutions that work for individual neighbourhoods, towns and cities and leverage the opportunity for delivering a green economic recovery.
Connected Places Catapult work on projects that leverage the original concepts from the Paris 15 minute neighbourhood and explore how these principles are being deployed in UK towns and cities to help drive economic recovery and the Net Zero agenda.
In the UK, many places have been implementing ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’ (LTNs: areas with much-reduced vehicle access) – increasingly so following the pandemic presenting increased active travel choices (cycling, running) with the associated health benefits – as well as reductions to greenhouse gas emissions.
How can we encourage a shift away from private vehicles?
With more than 50% of the global population living in cities, the urban way of life has brought indisputable advantages, as well as significant challenges, particularly related to the environment. Could your solution help promote healthy, sustainable, inclusive and accessible commuting patterns? Could it encourage active transportation, especially walking and cycling?
How can we leverage innovation to raise public awareness of the importance of clean air and encourage sustainable habits? Due to the invisible nature of air pollution, communities and citizens can often be unaware of the adverse effects poor air quality has on their everyday health and wellbeing. Could we use innovation to tackle sustainability issues?
Net Zero Neighbourhoods Projects
Our featured projects represent recent works as we continue to encourage and convene the market through innovators and place leaders to name a few. Each project presents the opportunity to discover what is next and how Connected Places Catapult can explore market demand and opportunities in the UK and globally as they evolve in the short, medium and long term.
Innovating for Clean Air Programme – India
Throughout the IFCA programme, Energy Systems Catapult and Connected Places Catapult identified market opportunities in Bengaluru, India for collaboration between UK and Indian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the air quality and EV transition sectors.
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Innovating for Clean Air Project: E-mobility in Indonesia
The IfCA Indonesia programme highlights the transport decarbonisation opportunity for firms in the UK e-mobility ecosystem and practical guidance on how to access it. This project aims to build on the ongoing collaborations that have taken place in three cities – Bandung, Denpasar and Surabaya.
Read MoreNet Zero Neighbourhood Events
Join us to learn from industry experts, academics as well as global, state and local government leaders. Access featured and on-demand content from past events.
By convening innovators, city leaders, transport authorities, active travel commissioners, central government, business leaders and world-leading academics, we will open a space to explore current blockers and propose new mechanisms to unlock the full potential of active travel to power the shift to healthy, low carbon mobility.
Net Zero Neighbourhoods News & Analysis
We have collated some of the latest news & analysis around Net Zero Neighbourhoods.
Pedestrianisation: The International Experience
Air pollution is the third highest cause of death globally, killing more people than tobacco. In the UK alone, air pollution leads to 40,000 deaths per year and reduces lifespans by up to two years. Air pollution is now the leading environmental risk factor resulting in millions of premature deaths and chronic disease worldwide.
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Routemap launched at first Active Travel Summit
Connected Places Catapult launch the first iteration of our Active Travel Routemap at the Active Travel Summit. The Routemap delves into actionable steps needed to accelerate innovation in the market, decarbonise transport and move us ever closer to net zero in response to the climate crisis.
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Smart Cities: The Future of Urban Living
Unboxed, a London digital agency create products and services that solve complex problems for a positive impact on people’s lives. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic intensified the movement towards smart cities, where data and technology optimise the quality of life for urban residents.
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Getting under the skin of why people travel
Time and cost are often seen as the principal factors that influence our travel choices, but a new anthropological study by the Connected Places Catapult suggests that the factors involved are, in fact, much more complex and often highly personal.
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Meet our Latest Clean Air Testbed cohort
The Innovating for Clean Air in India testbed pilots involved a cohort of 17 high potential UK and Indian SMEs developing clean air innovations and electric vehicle solutions. 9 deployed their solutions on the Clean Air Street in Bengaluru.
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Create Gaps for Pedestrians and Cyclists
We’re flattening the curb to create more gaps on our streets for pedestrians and cyclists. Clean Mobility is on the up. However, that the gap we’ve created is under threat and could revert use unless it is fully utilised by more active modes of transport.
Read MoreNet Zero Neighbourhoods Podcast
Here you can find a collection of our podcast episodes which explore net zero neighbourhoods and discuss a variety of subjects, including Active Travel.
