On Thursday 29 February, our Strategy, Analysis and Communications Director – Katie Day – gave a lecture at the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES) on collaboration – Working together matters: collaborating for effective policies and plans with people.
Collaboration is not just about working with others to combine skills sets to achieve an output or outcome. It is also about diversity.
“When you bring diverse perspectives, skills and views together, it brings a wider view of reality – it helps us see the world from the viewpoint of others,” said Katie.
“Whether it is planning, politics, the workplace or building a bridge or a nuclear power station. Having the right voices round the table can lead to more informed decisions and, hopefully, better outcomes for the people and places they impact.”
When it comes to transport and connectivity needs of people and places, we all know that ‘one size fit all’ approach for investment appraisal is holding the region back, and our transport planning and delivery does not fully recognise the diversity of needs for people and places.
Katie added: “Instead, we should be collaborating to enable diversity of thought to better understand and address the outcome needs of people and places. We should look to invest in new concepts and strive for better outcomes, if we are to deliver economic growth that is sustainable and inclusive for the longer term.
“This is the change Transport for the North wants to see throughout transport planning and delivery. It is why our new Strategic Transport Plan (STP) is focused on outcomes and why collaboration with our partners and stakeholders is key if we are to achieve our vision that by 2050 the North of England will have become a thriving, socially inclusive region – that our communities, businesses and places will all benefit from sustainable economic growth, improved health and wellbeing, and access to opportunities for all.”
Experts agree that collaboration between industry, government, businesses and academia is vital to ensure the North’s ambition for better connectivity to grow our economy, decarbonise our environment and improve social inclusion is adopted.
But how can we collaborate successfully?
Collaboration is all about working together and the process of joint working, early engagement is essential – whether it is building a railway or building a nuclear power station – infrastructure and services are for people and places.
For us at Transport for the North, we know that improved connectivity has to play in unlocking the potential of the North’s city-regions, towns, as well as coastal and rural areas.
And for this to be achieved, collaboration will have to be maintained with key partners, especially those involved in transport delivery to align infrastructure investment with the right policy levers to help realise the ambition for transformative transport that supports the North’s sustainable growth.