Newcastle City Council’s appointed Urban Foresight to develop and deliver its ambitious smart city transformation programme.

All projects are rooted in the needs and priorities of the council. Urban Foresight works closely with officers in different service areas to identify opportunities, run discovery sprints and engage with city stakeholders to collaboratively solve problems.

This includes projects related to mobility, parking, digital connectivity, data analytics, social housing and adult social care.

These opportunities are translated into fully costed investment-ready business cases. An agile, stage-gate process is adopted with senior managers reviewing and progressing projects to secure funding and approvals.

Once funding is secured, Urban Foresight supports in the development of procurement specifications and onboarding suppliers. Where required, this includes supporting the successful delivery of projects to ensure that maximum benefits are realised by the city.

In 2019, Newcastle was named UK Smart City of the Year by Digital Leaders.