"We don't do digital, we dig it all": experimenting with 'Data Civics' methods to support urban development in Granton, Edinburgh

Abstract

Granton is a neighbourhood on the waterfront periphery of North Edinburgh that challenges conventional imaginaries of Edinburgh’s heritage status. It has, thus, been the focal point of a six-month knowledge exchange project between the research team, local businesses, heritage, non-governmental organisations, support networks, activists and policymakers. The aim has been to investigate the interfaces between these stakeholders against the backdrop of COVID-19 measures and in light of the Granton Waterfront regeneration sponsored by the Edinburgh City Council. The methodological approach adopted is a fusion of digital and physical ethnography, civic participation, and community-led regeneration observation through knowledge exchange workshops. Based on the use of these experimental Data Civics methods, this chapter presents the findings, including informal network formation within local communities, frustration towards local policies, and the local perspective on research. A cross-platform comparison of the presence of local businesses on locative media was also conducted. This study reveals a cultural heritage obscured by mainstream perceptions, contributing to contemporary heritage redefinitions. Noteworthy aspects include a longstanding tradition of community-led activism, supported by various local networks (physical, digital, or hybrid), gardening, and the resistance to technological solutionism, namely a two-year electric car factory from the late nineteenth century, raising questions about technological possibilities.