Engaging Dundee residents in various topical conversations about climate change through 100 interactive street objects and virtual objects.

  • 🌳 Greenspaces & Biodiversity
  • 💡 LED Street Lights
  • 🚴‍♂️ Active Travel
  • 🌊 Flooding and surface water management
  • 🚗 Electric Vehicles
  • 🏡 Energy and Retrofittings
  • 💨 Air Pollution & Low Emission Zone
  • 🌎 Climate Justice 
  • 💜 Living Neighbourhoods & local services
  • 🎄 Living Christmas Tree

Dundee City Council

Go To Website

Addressed Challenges:

  • Health & wellbeing
  • Education
  • Tech & innovation

Action Areas:

  • Tech & Innovation

Initiative Purpose:

  • Mitigation & Adaptation

The Story

HLP Ninewells

The "Hello Dundee" project, also known as Hello Lamp Post, is an innovative initiative aimed at engaging the citizens of Dundee in conversations about climate change and the future of their city. Through this project, everyday street objects like lamp posts, bus shelters, and benches are transformed into interactive tools that encourage passersby to share their thoughts on climate-related topics. This project seeks to make the subject of climate change more accessible and engaging by embedding it in the daily lives of people in Dundee. The project has 11 projects in total, sharing information on Dundee City Council projects related to Climate Change and Sustainability, such as the Broughty Ferry Active Travel improvements, Water Resilient Dundee, Urban ReLeaf, city-wide LED Street lights switch, new cycling bike hangars and more. Specific focus has been given to the development of FAQ tools which have an exhaustive knowledge base to allow the public to ask questions about the Low Emission Zone, how to use EV charging infrastructure, an EV mythbuster, a Storm conversation providing information to the public and businesses on how to prepare and deal with the aftermath of storms and flooding, and a Recycling Bot.

 

The need for this project stemmed from the necessity to increase public awareness and involvement in the fight against climate change. Engaging the community in such conversations is crucial for fostering a collective approach to sustainability and resilience. Partners such as Sustainable Dundee, Dundee City Council, and the tech firm behind the platform, Hello Lamp Post, have been instrumental in bringing this project to life. Together, they are using technology to make climate change discussions more inclusive and reflective of the community's diverse perspectives.

 

Success & Outcomes

Success is measured by the number of interactions with the street objects, the diversity of responses gathered, and the overall increase in public awareness of climate change issues. Outcomes include thousands of interactions that provide valuable insights into public sentiment and awareness levels concerning climate change. The project is close to hitting its next milestone of 10,000 interactions (stand August 2024).

Advice for others looking to do something similar

For those considering a similar initiative, it's crucial to leverage existing infrastructure creatively and make the engagement process as accessible as possible. Identifying high-dwelling areas is crucial to project success. Although the first project phase focussed on lamp posts, we found that the signs were installed too high, leading to low visibility. The most successful signs were placed on benches, a natural dwelling place, and floodgates.

 

Begin by researching platforms that enable interactive communication and consider how these tools can be integrated into the daily environment of your target audience. Collaborating with local authorities, tech companies, and community groups will help in creating a project that resonates with the public. One challenge might be ensuring ongoing engagement, so consider how to keep the content fresh and relevant, and mitigate vandalism. Finally, don't underestimate the value of data collected from such interactions—it can provide key insights into public opinions and areas needing more focus.