World's first "smart street" launches in London
The world's first smart street will go live in London on 29 June featuring a host of retail and technology initiatives.
Bird Street, just off Oxford Street, has been transformed into a "traffic free, sustainable, innovative and experiential outdoor retail and leisure space" featuring a rotating mix of retail, food and leisure pop-ups.
The initiative has also partnered with a number of tech visionaries to showcase the sustainability potential of future high streets such as Pavegen, the electricity generating paving, and the CleanAir Bench from Airlabs which allows visitors to sit and relax in a space of fresh, filtered air accompanied by real time air quality monitoring technology. In addition Airlite paint was used to finish the pop-up stalls which purifies the air of noxious gases and bacteria.
The Dandy Lab, the innovative retail concept, is one of the occupants of the pop-up stalls. Its installation will combine a curation of emerging independent fashion and lifestyle brands with innovative retail technologies including mobile payment apps and incentivised digital "selfie mirrors".
Bird Street is a collaboration between pop-up retail experts Appear Here and The New West End Company, which represents the interests of the area's businesses. It is supported by Transport for London’s Future Streets incubator scheme.
