Invisible Villages: techno-localism and the enabling council

Invisible Villages: techno-localism and the enabling council
Publication Date: July 7th, 2004
ISBN: 1 903 447 40 2
Authored by: James Crabtree, William Davies and Anna Randle
Hardcopy Price: ££10

New Localism has come to dominate the political debate in recent months. While the forms this might take might differ, policy makers and politicians of all persuasions agree that the devolution of power and decision making to more local levels will help achieve improvements in services and more engaged communities. Local government is being required to develop a new community leadership role and also to work at more local levels.

To date, there has been no consideration of the role technology has to play in supporting the development of local government’s new role. Indeed, technology and the internet can often seem to support moves towards non-local communication and interest-based, rather than locality-based,community. However, as we learn more about the internet and the way people use it, we find that technology offers new ways for the real shared interests based around locality – ‘invisible villages’ – to become more visible. Such connections can help form a new conception of local community and also new ways for local councils to respond. Technology offers an opportunity for local government to play its new community leadership role more effectively.

Invisible Villages: techno-localism and the enabling council reveals not a model of ‘heroic’ civic leadership, but a new way of working informed by diverse and multi-layered communities. This ‘techno-localism’ looks ahead to the next stage of e-government, beyond 2005 targets and transactionbased interactions, and into real local debate and discussion. Technology and the internet should not be seen as a threat to local government and traditional institutions, but as offering new opportunities in a newly devolved world.


Explore More