The New South Wales Government’s latest Smart City Innovation Challenge, Safer Public Spaces for Women and Girls, is now open for applications from place owners such as councils.
The Challenge
Quality green, open and public spaces are important to everyone, with free parks, gardens and sports fields, walkable shady streets, libraries, museums and galleries, forming the heart of Australia’s communities.
This is why It is so important that public spaces are inclusive, so everyone can enjoy them.
The New South Wales Government said research showed that women and girls do not always feel completely safe and comfortable in public spaces, due to crime and harassment.
The New South Wales Government is seeking innovative technology solutions to help make women and girls feel safer and more comfortable in public spaces.
Solutions could use technologies and data solutions to help:
- Increase people’s feelings of personal safety
- Make public spaces more accessible for women to improve activation
- Promote areas for women and girls to walk, play, relax, eat and exercise at all times
- Understand how women and girls use public spaces through better collection of disaggregated data collection
Solutions can address women and girls’ safety anywhere in New South Wales.
The applications should explicitly state if the proposal can be applied to a particular location or place.
There may be opportunities to pilot successful solutions in:
- The Rocks / Tallawoladah, Darling Harbour / Tumbalong, and Barangaroo
- Parramatta Park
Funding
Up to $50,000 in funding will be available for each of the successful applicants to complete a feasibility study (phase two) within two months.
Funding of up to $1,000,000 may be made available to one successful applicant or may be split amongst multiple successful applicants.
Funding is to be used to develop the proposed solution further (phase 3). Payments will be staggered to align with project deliverables/stages and with departmental processes.
Why the Smart City Innovation Challenges
The New South Wales Government established the Smart Places Acceleration Program, to implement Action 8 of the New South Wales Smart Places Strategy.
The Program, which funds the Innovation Challenges, is facilitated by a $45 million funding envelope under the Digital Restart Fund, which has over three years to accelerate the development of smart places across New South Wales.
Through the New South Wales Smart Places Acceleration Program, the State Government is helping place owners – including councils, government agencies, property owners, and regional organisations – apply innovative smart technologies and capabilities.
The government’s aim is to solve problems and improve the quality of life for communities across regional and metropolitan New South Wales.
As part of the State Government’s Department of Planning, it is the second challenge open, with the previous challenge for Circular Economies currently in its second stage.
