This could be as part of a wider communications and public education campaign about how our county functions – and the data underpinning the decisions made by politicians. Note this also requires a ‘Total Place approach, that I covered here.
You can view the snapshot posters here
Above – detail of the first of ten large display boards. You’ll need either a big screen or to print them out at a minimum A3 size to make sense of the text if you want to see each board in full.
I’m one of those people who doesn’t like scrolling through large displays or maps like this. I’d rather see the big display. Furthermore, it’s something I’ve noticed with maps at local history events. Big colourful maps get people buzzing around them like bees and the proverbial honeypots.
One of the things that came up at the Cambs Unitaries event recently was the lack of knowledge Cambridge residents have about the north of our county.
This matters if we are to have an informed conversation with the rest of the county about the future of governance. And that means more of us having an awareness of the headline issues they have.
Above – Detail from the board on housing & inequality – zooming into Peterborough and Fenland
The green-shaded areas are the least economically deprived, and the orange/browns the most economically-deprived. Compare the above with Cambridge and southern Cambridgeshire – and consider the comparisons of rural poverty. (Noting these are not to the same scale, but also noting the urban poverty in north Cambridge).
Above – detail of housing and inequality in/around Cambridge
“You can’t build all over the Fenland – it’s a big flood zone!”
Hence why datamapping is ever so important.
That map also reminds me of the land topography map that was produced for the 1934 Cambridge Regional Plan by Davidge in 1934
Above – the contours and land profile/heights above sea level of the old Cambridgeshire County. You can browse through the 1934 report here.
Given the debates around renewables, what would a county land survey look like on where the best places to site them look like? For example mini-turbines alongside motorways? To solar panels above new cycleways? (It’s not simply a case of placing panels on south-facing fields or huge wind turbines on the top of hills.)
The transport boards need updating
Because they still mention the CAM Cambridge Autonomous Metro. Ooops!
Above – detail from board no.7 on connectivity and transport
Active travel – footpaths, cycleways, and bridalways
It’s easy for us urbanites to forget about the importance of bridalways to the countryside. This came up as an issue when the Greater Cambridge Partnership were planning longer distance cycleways, and came up against the competing preferences of horse riders vs longer distance cyclists. One group needs softer ground, another needs smooth, hard surfaces.
Above – detail from board no.8 showing the national cycleway routes in bold dark purple, and the public rights of way in the thin purple lines.
How many people are aware that such cycleroutes and public rights of way exist? What could be done to help more people become more familiar with them? (Whether as part of changing patterns of work, to anti-obesity/pro-health strategies?)
“Where could these be displayed?”
Given the number of empty poster boards at Drummer Street Bus Station and at the bus stops at Addenbrooke’s, those would make useful starters. Not least because they are places where people wait – all too often for a long time!
At the same time, such displays would need to be part of a wider communications *and engagement* strategy – i.e. something that not only gets people thinking about something, but acting upon that information. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Given that various election surveys are being published by campaign groups and candidates, people are asking about what makes for a good survey and how the results can influence political actions by the state.
Above – Melissa Jordan’s question to Phil Rodgers.
The very basic challenge that institutions need to overcome is their legitimacy in the eyes of the public. This came up at the Cambs Unitaries event as well – noting the comment that the majority of people when asked questions such as ‘who is responsible for potholes’ the response often is ‘The Council’. What does that mean in a place that has a city/district council *and* a county council? (And parish and town councils on top of those!?!) This also came up on BBC Politics East on 14 April 2024 – which you can watch until 14 May 2024 here. People in Ipswich gave their take about how over-complicated the present system is.
“So…could the boards be an invitation to participate in something?”
Could be – but who has the time?
If they are to be put up at bus stops, then one of the options is to have weblinks or QR codes to podcasts or short video clips on how public services function – not from the perspective of the institutions, but from the perspective of the public in the place that they are at. Whether at home, or standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus. One of the criticisms sometimes thrown at senior transport executives and top politicians is that they don’t live the day-to-day lives dependent on the services they are responsible for. For example, I recall one former Mayor of London requiring Transport for London’s executives to use the public transport systems that Londoners use, and not have company cars or subsidised mileage to ‘concentrate their minds’. How would that work for Cambridgeshire I wonder?!? (There is also this example of leisure attractions teaming up with TfL from nearly 20 years ago to get more people using public transport to get there. Again, easier for London with its existing infrastructure, but when I asked Stagecoach just before the Pandemic if they were even having those conversations say with the Corn Exchange or The Junction or even Cambridge United FC, the answer was they were not.
Anyway, it’s election season so…
Find out who your candidates are and start putting your questions to them!
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Below – The future of Cambridge will be on people’s minds. A decade ago, The Uxcester Garden City plan won the Wolfson Prize of 2014. It set out how it would go about expanding a fictitious large town from around 200,000 to 400,000 people – and which challenges they would need to overcome. How does it read today in the context of Cambridge’s future?
The Cambridge Town Owl 