A 24/7 platform providing access to services for isolated communities and reduced mobility residents

Project Information

TownHall24

Grant agreement ID: 762220

DOI 10.3030/762220

Closed project

EC signature date 22 January 2017

Start date 1 February 2017

End date 30 April 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost € 71 429,00

EU contribution € 50 000,00

Coordinated by

COMMUNITY CONSTRUCTOR OY
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TownHall24 (A 24/7 platform providing access to services for isolated communities and reduced mobility residents)

Reporting period: 2017-02-01 to 2017-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Cities across Europe have been experiencing the emergence of new residential areas further away from the urban centres. These offer better facilities for families in the form of larger, cleaner and greener living areas. However, the downside of this urban sprawl includes increased traffic congestion, social isolation, and lack of services and businesses in the new areas.

The lack of efficient and easy transportation and logistics in these areas mean that consumers cannot access or afford their preferred services. This mainly affects about 25% of EU’s population with limited mobility, especially the elderly and young people without driver’s licenses and/or cars. For the more mobile consumers, the total annual cost of car usage to access stores and services in Finland alone is estimated at €3.5 Billion. Extrapolated to the entire EU, this amounts to over €300 Billion.

The overall objective of the TownHall24 project is to provide physical spaces, placed in the heart of local communities that is combined with a digital service platform, to connect people to physical and digital services that are currently not readily available to them locally.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We undertook a technical feasibility study to define and prioritise the technical features and specifications of TownHall24. Additionally, we carried out a technical risk analysis and drew up mitigation measures.

We also carried out a comprehensive market study which included investigating the regulatory environments in order to determine the market needs, as well as the most promising markets. We also performed an intellectual property rights analysis and found no infringements.

We established the investment requirements to commercialise the solution, and made 5 year financial projections for the TownHall24 project. Based on these results, we concluded that the TownHall24 project is technically and commercially viable and prepared a comprehensive business plan for the commercialisation of TownHall24.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The novelty of our solution is the combining of three complementary elements into one integrated platform:
a) Automated delivery/pick-up points
b) Sharing economy hub
c) Self-service space rental

This will attract a significant user base while retaining a low-cost structure of services within walking distance. TownHall24 will enable cost effective access to consumer services that require a hyper-local presence in suburban areas, and will spur the growth of local sharing economy entrepreneurs.

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