Neopolis

Communication technology has provided a connected, digital environment that allows us to enjoy the benefits of exchanging a wide variety of information for commercial, scientific, and social activities. This connectivity has spawned the idea of a smart community—a community in which information technology plays a major role in the decision-making process and provides an improved quality of life for its residents. Improvements in computer speed, real-time monitoring and feedback has transformed the smart community from a theoretical concept into a reality. The economic geography and demographic make-up of our continent has changed and continues to be changing dramatically with 66% of the population now living in cities. Urban population growth has been accompanied by an increased demand for public transportation capacity, we have seen the need for expanded utility services, social and demographic changes have led to the need for more affordable housing, We have seen growing demands for better educational opportunities, and a greater emphasis on public safety. The common thread linking these services is the need for integrated planning and analysis. It is now the year 2035, our continent is unrecognisable from the continent we grew up in during the second decade of the third millenia. Our project sought to integrate the arts, sciences and humanities and in this way we sought to develop creative approaches for looking at important issues in the world around us. The project was divided into four stages, which were symbolic of the movement away from rural independence to metropolitan interdependence and community. Stage 1 (Partners worked in isolation) this took place in the opening months of the project, it was planned to be coordinated by students and staff using E twinning, but for various reasons including difficulties some partners experienced with the platform in schools and Teams became a more important platform. In the summer preceding the results of the grant application results, coordinating teachers agreed a programme of tasks and monitoring milestones to be addressed in the opening months of the project. Students assumed the mantle of the expert and produced technical reportswhich were shared with partners regarding climate change, migration, rising sea levels, food supplies, demography. Stage 2 (Partners cooperate) Based upon the work carried out in stage 1, it was planned that each partner would set up bids for their region to be the site of Neopolis. This particular feature did not work, it was overly complex and we replaced this task with one in which partners submitted tenders for individual aspects of building the city, eg the transport system, the power generation, the recreational areas and recycling facilities. We had to produce videos to present our cases. Although the results platform will show videos, these were replaced by presentations and face to face arguments as to why the new city should be chosen. This required a knowledge of their own regions and their partner’s regions. A vote will be taken to choose areas. Stage 3 (partners collaborate) Students set up their own “companies”, (These companies were not dictated by nationality and they represented collaborative groups of all partners and therefore needed to be created during a joint exchange). The companies bidded to be responsible for key features of the city such as digital connectivity, employment, open spaces, Transport, The plan was operated during the mobility in Norway Stage 4 (unity) Students where to build a model of the city using Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques and tools. Using these tools, students should have been able to analyze, store, share, manipulate and visualise urban geographic information in a map, defining the Neopolis features. In order to do this, we sought assistance from Northern STEM ambassadors network and the institute of town planners, students were going to use Google Tools to create customised urban maps informing their plans, the true physical collaboration did not occur because it had been scheduled to occur during the final mobility which never tool place as a physical event. We did create a virtual model but it was less than we had hoped for. Impact Urban planning tasks demandede students learn a range of cross curricular technical skills encouraging “STEM dexterity.” which we hoped would improving job prospects in science. We also expected our students to apply a range of transferable skills relating to communication skills, enthusiasm for learning, understanding how to plan and deliver innovative project outcomes and how to work with peers from completely different backgrounds The enrichment activities aimed to have a participant cohort which reflected the school population in terms of gender and ability.