Smart regional spaces: ready set go!

ABSTRACT Smart cities have come to dominate international academic, political and industry discourse. In contrast, limited attention has been given to the ‘smartisation’ of regional and rural areas. However, simply applying smart city thinking is not the way forward. Many of the social, economic, and environmental initiatives generated by the smart city movement respond to the challenges of dense urban living. These do not necessarily translate to the spatial scales, assets, budgets, and distinct, and often opposite challenges faced by regional and rural areas, including the substantial divide in digital inclusion compared to their urban counterparts. Digital connectivity is a prerequisite for a smart transition. Parallel to improved connectivity, regional and rural areas need context-specific place-based strategies, projects, programs, and tools, to successfully engage with the smart places movement and the opportunities and benefits it has to offer. The Smart Regional Spaces: Ready Set Go! project aims to pivot the smart places movement into regional and rural New South Wales (NSW). The project pilots new tools and techniques to upskill, and empower regional councils and their communities to directly engage with smart technologies and reduce the digital divide.