Digital infrastructure plays a crucial role in the Triple Access System, shaping physical infrastructure and places

Croeso i bawb i Gastell Caerdydd. Welcome everyone to Cardiff Castle. This is a write-up of my Key Note to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) x Diwydiant Cymru - Industry Wales event "Connecting urban and rural communities in Wales" on 28th November, 2024.

Digital infrastructure plays a crucial role in shaping physical infrastructure, especially in a region like Wales, where the tyranny of topography and distance impact upon the connectivity and economic growth of rural areas, towns, and city-regions.

Access is the cornerstone of creating a safe, easy, and productive life for people. However, our understanding of access often carries inherent biases. As a town planner, my initial focus tends to be on the spatial proximity of goods and services—how easily can people reach physical locations like shops, schools, or healthcare facilities. For transport planners, may frequently be viewed through the lens of moving humans or goods efficiently from point A to point B.

Yet, the role of digital access is often under-rated or overlooked in these discussions. Digital connectivity is not just an add-on; it is a fundamental component of a Triple Access System. This approach emphasizes the need to balance three critical forms of access: physical, transport, and digital.

Thinking about the digital element of Triple Access Planning makes a massive difference.

1.??? Without integrating digital access into our planning frameworks, we risk leaving individuals without essential services. In today’s world, many services—such as telehealth, online education, and e-commerce—are increasingly digital. Without reliable internet access, people are less productive and more likely to feel isolated.

2.??? In rural areas of Wales, where physical infrastructure may be less developed, digital connectivity can serve as a lifeline. It enables communities to access resources and services that might otherwise be out of reach, fostering resilience and inclusivity. We know that the pandemic unlocked digital tools so that people and communities could maintain social connections. However, this was a trend that Covid just accelerated. It highlighted how important it is not to leave people behind in the digital revolution – there is no one now that thinks digital connectivity is not fundamentally important for wellbeing.

3.??? Economic Growth: By ensuring that digital infrastructure is part of our planning, we can attract businesses and talent to regions that might otherwise struggle. Businesses increasingly rely on digital tools for operations, marketing, and customer engagement. Regions with good digital infrastructure attract high-growth industries and skilled workers, as companies prioritize locations with reliable internet and mobile services. This trend can lead to highly skilled job creation and increased investment in local economies.

4.??? A digital network supports innovation. You might first think of digital entrepreneurs – the next wave of data analysts or creative animators or a new App. But digital innovation is also desperately needed in more traditional industries like construction and manufacturing, or energy production and transmission.

I’m interested in the integration of digital infrastructure with physical and transport planning to create vibrant and active places. But often decision-makers don’t know enough about advanced digital services to safeguard the right infrastructure or retrofit existing neighbourhoods.

So how digital is rolled out?

Digital and physical infrastructure are not interdependent. For example, mobile networks require fixed broadband connections to function effectively. In Wales, where many households still lack access to superfast broadband, developing a comprehensive digital strategy that includes both mobile and fixed solutions is essential.

Right at the start I mentioned topography. It’s not just because I’m a town planning nerd – topography is one of the most challenging aspects of connecting people in Wales across rugged terrain. This complicates the installation of physical infrastructure like fibre and confuses mobile signals.

This can make the capital spend really big.

Combine this with low population densities and suddenly you have fewer customers and less potential revenue for telecommunication companies.

This then compounds in an inability to attract investment from businesses and may leave some digital providers focusing on urban areas where the return on investment is more certain.

More targeted public sector funding and coordination is required to expand digital access into rural areas. Two great case studies are leading the way in Wales:

Cardiff Capital Region’s ￡45m investment in Ogi to boost digital connectivity for South East Wales - Cardiff Capital Region

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses can access gigabit capable speeds as rollout of full fibre broadband smashes targets | GOV.WALES

Forward planning has also shaped the development of a new city on the edge of Sydney in Australia, where the spatial planning is safeguarding for design, delivery and (very importantly) maintenance access for known and even unknown future utilities is being considered as a series of Multi-Utility Corridors.

Western Sydney Aerotropolis combined utility servicing | Sydney Water Talk

There are also advances in technology that are helping to bridge the terrain and distance gap… Disaggregated networks, Internet of Things, automation, low power networks, and 5G or even satellite internet might help. But here I am straying outside my area of expertise, so will leave it to others.

One element of digital access I am really interested in involves communities setting up mesh networks (which is a wireless network linked by radio nodes or hotspots). These are often guerrilla networks and great equalisers in giving communities access to services that they lacked before. Did you know that the first mesh network was actually set up in Manchester in 1990. Since then, they have gone global; for example, as an essential services for many communities in South Africa.

Concluding, we know digital access is important. It creates opportunity and brings people and ideas together. This is the power of agglomeration, which we often use in cities to describe how proximity increases productivity, innovation, and overall economic growth.

Planning for investment and roll out of digital infrastructure and technology in regional or remote areas can broaden our thinking and the supercharge the benefits of a Triple Access System.