Kerbside management company Grid Smarter Cities is partnering with Transport for London, AppyWay, the London Legacy Development Corporation and a host of other organisations to deliver Corespaces, a €16.4 million (£14.2 million) project funded under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme to accelerate climate-neutral cities across Europe.
In total the project brings together 45 partners across Europe to test innovative solutions, exploring how they can better design, manage and utilise limited urban space.
Grid says urban space is one of a city’s most valuable and contested resources and that smarter allocation of the kerbside can unlock significant benefits, from cleaner air and safer streets to more efficient logistics and improved access for businesses and communities.
Grid joins the partnership alongside other municipal and industry leaders, which also includes the London Borough of Lambeth and University College London ato help transform how kerbside and roadside infrastructure is planned and managed. Through CORESpaces, Grid will deploy its patent-protected Kerb® platform across all the deployment locations, including Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Lambeth and Central London.
By delivering innovative dynamic pricing and demand-led allocation, Grid will be developing its existing software platform to create new innovative zonal access permission layers, reservable on-street EV charging, and virtual bus and demand-responsive transport across these locations.
“We are incredibly proud to be part of CORESpaces and to support London’s Living Lab alongside such respected partners,” said Toby Hiles, Sales and Partnerships Director at Grid Smarter Cities. “Smarter kerbside management is essential to delivering cleaner air, safer streets and more inclusive public spaces. By integrating digital kerbside tools with wider mobility strategies, CORESpaces will help cities move from static rules to dynamic, people-centred streets. Grid Smarter Cities is happy to take on the challenge of helping London manage its kerbside more intelligently, using data and digital tools to balance competing demands, improve safety and support cleaner, more efficient streets.”
Kerb® is a digital platform that optimises kerb space – turning it into a dynamic, three-dimensional bookable asset enabling users to book their kerbside loading slots in advance. Upon arrival, the space is available for them to pull straight in and safely deliver their goods. This means no circling looking for a space to stop and no loitering in the carriageway, which helps towards reducing congestion in busy cities and improving air quality.
By working in partnership with city authorities, researchers and technology providers, Grid looks forward to helping demonstrate how smarter space management can accelerate the transition to climate-neutral cities across Europe.
(Picture – Grid Smarter Cities)
