PlaceCal and the Capabilities Approach

This piece represents a draft journal paper by Prof. Stefan White and Dr Kim Foale examining how the capability approach can be applied to community technology initiatives in Hulme and Moss Side.

Abstract

We explore how applying a capability approach to information technology in neighborhoods with limited social capital can establish sustainable Community Technology Partnerships (CTPs). These partnerships aim to connect residents and institutions while reducing participation barriers and enabling collaborative action.

Research shows that older residents in disadvantaged areas struggle significantly with community information sharing—a core dimension of the digital divide. Manchester Age Friendly Neighbourhoods (MAFN) conducted extensive interviews across four neighborhood partnerships and discovered that communication gaps within and between residents, communities, and service providers contribute to social isolation and limit local cooperation.

MAFN established a CTP to investigate discrepancies between perceptions of limited neighborhood activity and the actual volume of events occurring. The investigation revealed “dozens of events in each area that were previously either poorly communicated or which were not normally published at all, relying entirely on word of mouth.”

Using a capability model, the team identified and addressed both social and technical obstacles preventing neighborhood activity organizers from independently and reliably sharing event information. This work produced PlaceCal, described as “an holistic social and technical toolkit” enabling groups and individuals to publish information through a decentralized community information network.