2 Vision and Smart Model

As noted, Sligo 2030 is a new integrated Economic, Social, and Community Plan for all of Sligo that will also act as Sligo’s new Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP). The plan seeks to position Sligo as a cutting edge, and forward-thinking county that is smart and sustainable, embraces change and creates innovative solutions for its challenges. As such, it is envisaged that the county in 2030 will have enhanced levels of employment and be transformed through digital and green actions that have contributed to vibrant communities and a healthy and prosperous people.

To do this, it aims to see Sligo adopt a new approach to governance and development through working together, community led approaches, and enhanced communication that will allow the county to adapt to change in real time. It will see the county commit to innovation and excellence through sustainable initiatives, that embody value for money and embrace data for a more a competitive economy and enhanced policy decisions. The smart model outlined below will be built upon and frame actions in future iterations of the Implementation Plan outlined in Chapter 8, to ensure that smart and sustainable thinking is embedded in development of Sligo as it moves towards 2030.

Taking this into account, Sligo County Council has developed an integrated vision to cover town, county, community and economy. The vision for Sligo in 2030 is as follows:

The Vision is for a smart, sustainable, and socially inclusive Sligo; one that cherishes its vibrant communities, protects and celebrates its unique environment and rich culture, and is a champion of innovative growth and development. This vision has been developed in a collaborative manner and informed and refined through consultation with key stakeholders and the wider community. It is hoped that this vision can be a shared vision, one which brings together urban and rural communities, and generates a shared sense of ownership to drive Sligo forward to realise its potential and transform the county as it moves towards 2030.

The approach to delivering the vision is outlined in the diagram below, highlighting how the various elements of the plan come together from the analysis and conceptual models, through to the framework for delivery and the implementation of specific actions. Each element is further outlined and described in the sections that follow

Pillars Keys areas of Focus

Pillar 1. Sustainable Economy: Sustainable Economy: The key strands of focus for this pillar are sustainable employment (jobs of the future), industry-academia linkages and data for enterprises (identification of needs). For Sligo this will mean focusing on attracting investment in jobs of the future (e.g. industry 4.0, renewables, retrofitting, tech), developing meaningful employment for the county’s people by building on existing highly skilled sectors such as MedTech and Pharmaceuticals, increasing industry-academia collaboration both to address skill gaps and increase R&D, and using an industry led approach to creating an innovative ecosystem where entrepreneurs and SMEs can flourish

Pillar 2. Sustainable Environment:

2.1 Smart Sligo Model Approach

To help achieve this vision Sligo is adopting a “smart model” targeting key pillars that will assist in transforming the county over the next number of years. The smart model is based around the smar t city concept. The UN defines a smar t sustainable city as “one that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental as well as cultural aspects”.2

As such smart cities and smart models tend to encompass a range of policy spaces and interventions including focuses on governance, services, community, environment, and mobility while intersecting with the fields of politics, economics, healthcare, science, education, and technology. The purpose of these interventions is often to improve the level of data collected to ensure that robust decision making underpinned by good data can be accomplished while also increasing the transparency and accessibility of that data to allow for third par ties to benefit from it as well.

However, for Sligo, while the Smart Sligo Model will champion a data led approach to decision making, it goes beyond focusing solely on the use of technology and aims to position Sligo as a forward looking, highly skilled, sustainable county with the community and collaboration at its centre. It is being adopted as an approach to frame and focus the development of this plan, to ensure that for each goal, objective and need, thought has gone into how it can be addressed by a specific action in a smart and sustainable way to the benefit of Sligo and its people. Similar to what was outlined in the vision section above, the Smart Model will contribute to the development of new and more efficient ways of working, enhanced policy making, and a more competitive economy while embracing innovation, excellence and sustainability including through demonstration and pilot projects.

The model will build upon Sligo’s current Digital Strategy through providing enhanced areas of focus for smart initiatives.

Furthermore, the model aligns with the objective of developing a smart region as outlined in the Northern and Western Regional Assembly’s Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy. It will also contribute to future iterations of the Implementation Plan outlined in Chapter 8 and potentially other strategies contributing to Sligo’s development in the future.

Various models for implementing smart city principles have been developed by actors in the private sector, public sector, and academia. This includes established EU and OECD models and associated indicators as well as city specific models such as in Santander, Barcelona and Peterborough. Sligo’s model broadly aligns with the smart cities model put forward by European Smart Cities Project developed by a combined team from Vienna University of Technology, Delft University of Technology and the University of Ljubljana.3 However, many smart models have been developed for cities that have larger populations than the entirety of County Sligo. As such, the model outlined below is provided at a high-level, taking into account Sligo’s comparatively small size and rural nature (at county level) and the need for flexibility as lessons are learnt on what works and what does not in relation to the smart model approach. In as far as is possible, the pillars and strands of focus have been tailored to Sligo’s specific circumstances.

For Sligo, the most relevant pillars for a smart model have been identified as the following:

The key strands of focus for this pillar are community sustainability initiatives, renewables, circular economy and biodiversity protection. For Sligo this will mean positioning itself as an exemplar in relation to becoming a smart and green county through working with the private sector, education providers and the wider community to improve sustainability and reduce emissions. This will include community-based power projects, rewilding initiatives, green procurement, and the use of technology with assistance from the community to monitor the environment.

2 See: https://unece.org/housing/sustainable-smart-cities

3 See: http://www.smart-cities.eu/

Pillars Keys areas of Focus

Pillar 3. Smart Mobility:

The key strands of focus for this pillar are a data led approach to public transport enhancement, active mobility and electric vehicles. For Sligo this will mean encouraging, promoting and developing more sustainable and active modes of transport that in turn will seek to address rural isolation, strengthen connections between urban and rural settlements and communities, reduce traffic congestion and contribute to the enhancement of the economy through greater accessibility. This will include increased public transport, cycling and walking infrastructure and electric vehicle charging points and fleets.

Pillars Keys areas of Focus

Pillar 5. Smart People:

The key strands of focus for this pillar are skills development, and public participation in Sligo’s development. For Sligo this will mean capitalising on the educational strengths of the county to prepare the community for the jobs of the future through increased training and education as well as co-designing training and services to address skill gaps where they exist. This will include bridging the digital divide4 aligning with private sector needs, and encouraging participation in the development of both Sligo Town and County through the use of technology.

Pillar

The key strands of focus for this pillar are connected communities (high speed mobile and broadband, open public WiFi) energy efficiency and a data led approach to service and amenity development. For Sligo this will mean using technology to engage hard to reach groups and supporting and encouraging the development of inclusive communities; connected communities that can work and learn remotely; the use of a data lead approach to enhance services and amenities in town centres, and energy efficiency through smart meters and retrofitting.

Pillar 6. Smart Governance:

The key strands of focus for this pillar are knowledge sharing, data collection for decision making (including IoT sensors and public data), e-services and community engagement. For Sligo this means putting collaboration at the heart of the county’s development, increasing communication and collaboration between key agencies, the private sector and the public; enhancing the use of technology to encourage engagement and improve service provision, and an increased use in data led decision making.

Taken together, these six pillars provided a lens for the development of the goals, objectives and actions and will act to provide further guidance for those that will be leading and supporting the delivery of key actions in relation to specific areas of attention. Furthermore, the model as a whole acts as a proofing mechanism to ensure Sligo develops and embraces digital technology and innovation and is a front runner for future growth along the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC).

This refers to the divide between those that can readily access and use technology (including laptops and smartphones) and the internet, and those that cannot.