This report is the final in the research series and culminates with an in-depth view of the infrastructure demands of a Digital CBD.
Where the previous report in the research series looked into the digital skills gap in a professional sense, this final report directs its lens on the people who work and live in the city and broader regional areas and how they use and interact with digital infrastructures.
This final report is a true collaborative piece of work with researchers coming together from the Blockchain Innovation Hub, the Centre for Cyber Security and Innovation and RMIT's Digital Ethnography Research Centre (DERC) to provide key findings and layer upon layer of unique and thought-provoking concepts and ideas that may change your existing views on digital infrastructures and how they fit into our world.
It profiles existing and emerging technology at the core of digital transformations not only in the industry but also in the economy, socially and culturally.
At the heart of this research is an extensive and ground-breaking survey that captured a living baseline of residents in the Melbourne metro, urban and regional centre's as they re-emerged after COVID-19. Not only did this survey capture the digital abilities of everyday Victorians but also the way in which they engaged in the Melbourne CBD.
Three real world case studies are unpacked in this report to highlight how digital infrastructures are visible and tangible:
- The work from home phenomenon due to the twin shocks which has resulted in an extension of digital infrastructures into our homes and regions, highlighting technological innovation and accessibility, usability and mobility.
- The way in which digital infrastructures can be tools in larger entrepreneurial ecosystems such as a City Digital Twin in order to facilitate coordination and connection.
- How digital infrastructures can impact immersive and playful engagement and draws on the Digital CBD survey to explore how the city is changing and how digital infrastructures such can change with this evolution.
Finally, the authors suggest a series of policy recommendations to ensure that key research findings are addressed to support Melbourne's digital and physical immersion and assist with the digital skills residents need for a future Digital CBD.