A pioneering project which uses cutting-edge technology to help shape town centre regeneration will hit the road this summer.
Smart Towns Cymru will host a series of events across Wales beginning in Newport on Thursday (May 16).
Having welcomed up to 120 people to its inaugural conference, held at Ty Pawb in Wrexham earlier this year, the programme – delivered by Anglesey and Porthmadog-based Menter Mon – wants to engage with even more businesses and local authorities in Wales.
The aim is to bring together key high street decision makers with retailers and relevant parties to help breathe life into local economies across the country.
Project Manager Kiki Rees-Stavros said: “We are encouraging businesses to attend and engage with their local authorities and town and community councils to look at ways to move forward together, to discuss what issues they are facing and how they can work in partnership to resolve them.
“This is a great platform to bring organisations together under one roof and share best practice in an informal setting, and to learn how other areas have benefited from the incredible technology and innovative practices that have had a positive impact on other towns and villages.”
She added: “I hope people will capitalise on this opportunity – in Newport and the other regions we will be visiting this summer – especially following the success of our first ever conference in Wrexham, where we signed up 19 new Smart Ambassadors and had representatives from 19 of the 22 local authorities in Wales.
“Together we will continue to explore and develop sustainable solutions that will benefit businesses, help increase footfall and shine a light on trends in our town centres, which in turn will influence decision making in the future.”
More than 50 people have already registered for the Newport event, and there will be presentations on the day from Owen Davies Consulting from Abergavenny, Caerphilly-based VZTA, leaders in Smart Towns ecosystems, BABLE Smart Cities, and software development pioneers Kodergarten, from Gwynedd, who trialled innovative seismology technology as part of the wider Patrwm Smart Places project at last summer’s National Eisteddfod.
The roadshow will then move on to the following areas: Brecon (June 4), Newtown (June 5), Anglesey (July 5), and Flintshire (July 10).
Launched in 2021, the Trefi Smart Towns Cymru project, funded by Welsh Government, has promoted the use of technology and data to rejuvenate high streets all over Wales and encourage data driven decision making.
