Davenport Institute Gives Two Talks at London Local Government Conference

June was a busy month for us at the Davenport Institute as we made our international debut at the MOVE London 2023 Annual Conference. Our Assistant Director Pooja Bachani Di Giovanna participated in a session on each day. 

On day one, Pooja was on a panel titled “Society 5.0: ensuring citizen input drives decisions on change” with Ayanda Collins, Head of Transport Projects and People-Friendly Streets, Islington Council, UK, and Juan Caballero, Campaign Manager at EUROCITIES. On day two, the Davenport Institute was featured in a fireside chat titled “Transport equity: how mobility projects are regenerating and reconnecting poorer communities”. In both sessions, Pooja emphasized the need to ensure community engagement and feedback is part of the local government decision-making process, and that process involves the entire community. 

Citizen input and public engagement were woven throughout the sessions at the conference, with a special focus on ensuring data does not replace community input as we move toward smart cities.

MOVE London is one of the largest conferences on transportation and mobility, and it features speakers from all around the world. This was an excellent opportunity for us to be a part of a larger conversation on the need for community input to be a part of the decision-making process in local government, emphasizing that data is not a substitute for citizen input.