Successful cities will be those equipped to see the big picture of what is possible by empowering the public and private, the local and global.
We work at the intersection of local government, business and community interests, making the connections and building the networks that foster adaptability and drive success.
Today people working within city authorities are becoming more creative, more commercial, more energetic and more ambitious, to match the attitudes that have emerged from the private sector in recent years.
As initiatives such as Tech City have proved, cross-sector entrepreneurial thinking was an awakening. It was an example of local government creating a start-up that played a key part in bringing broader, industry-wide thinking into an environment where it hadn't been before.
Today thinking and acting like an urban entrepreneur is the new norm.
Cities are in a continual process of transformation. To thrive they must confront challenges, develop partnerships, capitalise on opportunities, be competitive, think commercially, embrace creativity from every quarter, understand the value of culture and the importance of renewal.
Local government can be one of the central agents in the transformation process.
That means being aware of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, being ready to adapt and change, and being active players in the modern digital economy.
We help places attract the public and private investment they need to realise their bold ambitions. We collaborate, we actively engage all parties, we look for entrepreneurial innovative ideas, backed by a structured but not rigid framework of thinking and justification. We help local government ensure places realise economic development that benefits all.
Doing this ensures cities build strength and resilience in the face of constant change. The next fifty years will see increasing populations and changes in business and employment, as well as pressure on cultural organisations and social networks. Cities need to look outward – to attract talent, resources and partners – and inward, building on community, heritage and traditional roots.
We approach regeneration from this broader perspective, where culture is as important as commerce, where local networks are as important as the built environment.
No two cities are alike: difference is vital. Economic and social success is built on finding what is unique about a place, its community and the journey it’s on. Not bland, not homogeneous. Just remarkable in its own individual way.
We get to know a place to see how it really works. Digging deep, extending reach, building new interfaces between sectors and communities to reinforce cultural strength.
Fortune favours the bold. In making change happen boldness is a necessity. We encourage the taking of bold steps, thinking the unthinkable in pursuit of sustainable outcomes.
We were delighted to be invited to host two sessions on the future of cities at the prestigious and cutting edge sustainability conference Blue Earth Summit in Bristol.
Remarkable City founder Duncan Ray hired a first-generation Nissan Leaf with an 80-mile range and drove it from London to Manchester and back to experience and test out the UK's public charging network first-hand. What he discovered is that the UK is firmly in the 'wild west' phase when it comes to electric vehicle infrastructure.
We set up a new lightweight inward investment service for Barnet Council that extended and expanded its current branding to create a resource that can be used by Barnet and regional partners to promote London’s most populous borough to its target businesses.
The first thing that strikes us about the Levelling Up White Paper is that there does seem to be a concerted effort here to set this whole area right. It does look like it goes past politics back to the ‘good old days’ of Heseltine thinking.
We love working with London and Major City clients but we are also delighted to be also increasingly working with clients outside urban centres as well.
Remarkable City’s Research Assistant Natasha Kerr is back with another new post that looking at how cities are supporting their economies as they recover from the pandemic. This time she considers six ways that data is helping cities bounce forward.
Bill Grimsey launched his new report, Against All Odds, at pop-up retail space Sook in central London on Monday 19th July. It looks back over the pandemic and looks at how independent retail, hospitality and services businesses have adapted to survive the pandemic.
In the first of a two-part series, Natasha, who has joined Remarkable City over summer, is looking at what is behind the rise in vacant units on the high street, which are a blight on the high street. In part two she looks at what different places are doing to address the issue of vacancies.
In the first of a two-part series, Natasha, who has joined Remarkable City over summer, is looking at what is behind the rise in vacant units on the high street, which are a blight on the high street. In part two she looks at what different places are doing to address the issue of vacancies.
In The Neighbourhood is a monthly streaming show about people, places, economies and communities. It provides a space to explore different aspects of city work and life with the world’s leading urban thinkers.
We started Remarkable City because it’s time to encourage broader ways of approaching regeneration and urban renewal.
Founder Duncan Ray is a free-thinker, respected adviser and experienced implementer of regeneration strategies.
With a background in mathematics, broadcast media and management consultancy, Duncan has led regeneration projects for London boroughs, nurturing culture and tapping into the dynamics of the digital economy.
His skills include ideas generation, consultation, network building and generally getting his hands dirty to make things happen.
@duncan__ray on Twitter.
Daniel has held senior management and advisory roles in many industries, designing and implementing processes that make organisations more operationally efficient and delivering lasting transformation through pragmatic programmes of change.
He has worked with a number of FTSE-listed companies. Recently he was the Head of Programmes at the Future Cities Catapult where he designed and structured initiatives to support the health of global cities and help hundreds of smart city startups and SMEs grow and flourish.
Peter has spent much of his career as a Partner with a global management consulting firm, specialising in technology enabled business transformation mostly in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
He has held a number of senior leadership positions in the UK and the US and since retiring from full time consulting has been working with the Remarkable City team in an advisory capacity. He is passionate about urban renewal and the critical role energy and infrastructure strategy has to play in building positive social and commercial environments.
