i-Harlem

ICT for Economic Development in Harlem, New York

Matias Echanove, Harlem Business Summit, New York City September 26, 2005 / Urbanology

This is a vision for a comprehensive use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for economic development in Harlem, New York City.

This paper proposes i) free broadband wireless access for all residents and businesses of Harlem, and ii) an i-Harlem interface providing everybody with instant access to local goods and services, the international market, web services, and personalized support and training.

Objectives:

- Bridge the digital divide by providing Harlem residents free ICT access and training.
- Use ICT to support Harlem entrepreneurs in developing successful local businesses with international reach.
- Use ICT to promote the comparative advantages of Harlem in a national and global context.
- Design Harlem specific ICT infrastructure and applications.
- Turn Harlem into a laboratory for ICT innovations in arts and business.

Introduction & Background:

i) Harlem, New York City

Harlem is probably the most famous inner-city in the world. World renowned artists, musicians, athletes, and political leaders come from Harlem. Tourists from all over the world come visit it, and everybody from Toronto to Tokyo, passing by Paris and Cape Town has heard of it. It is a major Black-American and Hispanic cultural and business center in America and in the world. Despite the economic gentrification currently taking place in the area, the struggle is not over for the people of Harlem who have suffered years of racial discrimination and ghettoization. Indeed, while some are better of, the condition of many has been deteriorating during the past decade. In community districts 9, 10, 11, and 12 (Harlem plus Washington Heights), 45% of residents were receiving income support in 2000, up from 33% in 1990. Harlem shares some pathologies and stigmas with many other inner-cities, but it has unique advantages on which it can capitalize to lift its people out of poverty, such as its strong cultural identity and its international exposure.

ii) ICT

The correlation between ICT and GDP growth is established. ICT alone do not suffice to foster economic development, nonetheless, only few businesses can run optimally in advanced economies without computer tools and internet access. Internet has become a prerequisite for a healthy business environment, and in some cases it also stimulates the activity. This paper describes a few ways in which ICT can improve Harlem’s business environment.

iii) Wireless Broadband

Wireless distribution is now widely seen as the easiest and most cost effective way to make broadband internet available to all. It only requires a few antennas to spread the network. Many public and commercial spaces in New York City provide free access. Cities increasingly provide free wireless internet access to their citizens, from Philadelphia to Tokyo, passing by Rome and Honk Kong. Providing wireless access is not a technical or economic issue, but a political one.

Wireless Broadband for All:

A DSL broadband connection in New York City costs about than $30 per month. A reasonable phone monthly bill is around $40. That means that a New York City household with telephone and internet has a communication bill of at least $70 a month (it is certainly more for a business). This section explains how it is possible to provide broadband internet and telephone connection to all residents and businesses in Harlem for a fraction of that cost.

Providing broadband internet access to all households is a prerequisite in order to bridge the digital divide in Harlem. In Harlem and Washington Heights there are roughly 200,000 households, of 2.7 people each in average. If each household was to pay for broadband internet, that would represent $6 million a month or $72 million a year, without including businesses.

Let’s assume that no one has internet in Harlem and that each household has an average phone bill (land line only) of $40 per month. That represents a yearly phone bill of $480 for each household and a total of $96 million a year for all the households of Harlem and Washington Heights.

According to the Wireless Philadelphia Plan issued by the city of Philadelphia in 2004, a wireless infrastructure can be installed for $40,000 to $60,000 per square mile. Maintenance costs are about 80% of that each year. Harlem and Washington Heights represent a total land area of 8 miles. That means that it is possible to provide wireless broadband internet to Harlem and Washington Heights for $320,000 to $480,000 plus about $350,000 in annual maintenance cost.

That would not only suffice to provide all residents and businesses in Harlem with broadband internet, it would also enable everyone to make all local and international phone calls free using VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). According to The Economist, softwares such as Skype, which allow users to make phone calls directly from their computers “should make incumbent telecoms firms everywhere break out in a cold sweat.” There are already 1,100 VOIP providers in America alone and some of them like Vonage, a New Jersey based firm, already supply their costumers with adapters so they can plug ordinary telephones into their broadband connections without using a computer.

A fraction of the amount that Harlem residents and businesses pay for phone could be redirected to set up a broadband wireless system for phone and internet.

Internet would be free for all and a flat fee could be charged to all the businesses and households willing to use VOIP service from their land line. If the fee was, say, $10 per month, 4000 subscribers would be enough to finance the service for the whole of Harlem and Washington Heights. The initial infrastructure costs could easily be financed by foundations and IT corporations willing to have their name associated to a cutting edge conscious technological project. A non-for-profit could manage the i-Harlem system and sub-contract private contractors for set up and maintenance work.

Hardware, however, should not be the end of the story. A Harlem specific internet interface should be designed and training should be provided to businesses and individuals to turn Harlem into an internet-smart community.

The i-Harlem Interface:

Two kinds of interfaces should supplement free and universal broadband access in Harlem: a human interface and a digital interface. The human interface consists of technical assistants helping the community with their computer and internet needs. The digital interface is a one point access website providing Harlem specific services and information.

i) The human interface: Harlem i-Angels

The use of new technology can be at the same time exciting and scary, especially for those born before the digital generation and others who never used computers. The best way to demystify the internet is to show peolpe how it can be used to suit their needs and interests. Furthermore, the internet should not isolate people but on the contrary facilitate interpersonal and intergenerational communication.

A few special internet training centers should be established to train local youth in internet technologies and techniques: basic hardware, web design, database development, server maintenance, and so on. These centers could be staffed with a few professionals supplemented by computer students from all over the world who would come to Harlem for a few months to transmit their knowledge and live in one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhood. These computer science professionals and students would teach local youth who, in exchange, of the free training they receive, would assist the community a few hours each week. They would be the Harlem i-Angels. Anyone needing assistance could visit one of the centers or be helped at home by an i-Angel. I-Angels would assist residents and businesses requesting help setting up the internet and using internet applications. These young people would acquire technical skills and professional experience preparing them for the job market.

ii) The Digital Inteface: i-Harlem Website

When aol subscribers open their internet browser, they are automatically directed to the aol homepage which displays news and services. The i-Harlem portal would do the same but with Harlem specific news, community services, and forums. It would be an ideal space to advertise local services and businesses and debate community issues. Web leaders such as eBay or Skype might be interested in providing a platform for local e-commerce and communication. For instance, a local eBay market place could help Harlem buyers and suppliers finding each other.

Other partners could include local newspapers, such as Harlemlife.com, Helloharlem.com, and other New York City periodicals with interest in Harlem life and culture, such as the Village Voice or the New York Times. Of course this portal could interest people beyond Harlem. For instance, it would become the best resource for tourists willing to find out where to go to see live gospel, African-American art, or buy music.

The i-Harlem website should be an interface stimulating interaction within the community. Local news would be provided by residents. The system would make it easy for locals to add on content to the website from their PC. All Harlem residents would be registered with an optional profile visible by all other residents. Each one could create one’s own page and blog. A local web TV could be created easily allowing local talents to be displayed globally.

Many other useful community services could be provided through the i-Harlem website, such as educational and employment services. Parents and teachers could be in touch through the interface, while students could send their homework via the website or participate in interactive class discussions after school online. Job seekers could have instant access to all offers via the website, and employers direct access to a database of local job seekers.

Conclusion:

i-Harlem is a vision for a comprehensive use of ICT for economic development. On the one hand it would provide universal free access to internet and phone, and on the other hand would stimulate local interactions and trading. This vision is not utopian but on the contrary very realistic and feasible. It could save the community millions of dollars, provide a unique space of communication, and give the world an access to Harlem. It only requires community support and political determination. The communication revolution will be online, wireless and grassroots.

The millions of dollars currently spent by Harlem residents for simple land lines could be much better allocated. A fraction of that amount should be redirected towards the development of a wireless infrastructure that would provide both broadband internet and a VOIP phone system. The money saved from the phone bill would boost local spending and directly benefit local businesses.

Harlem is the ideal site to put in place such as scheme because it is a cool neighborhood benefiting from a high capital of sympathy worldwide. Companies such as Google or eBay, would probably be glad to have their names associated with an avant-garde technological, economic, and cultural project taking place in Harlem.

To be fulfilled, this vision needs a multi-talented team, political backing, and community support. Initial funding is needed to develop a business plan and establish contacts with possible sponsors and partners. The potential benefits of such project extend beyond Harlem. Harlem could lead the way to communicational and economic emancipation for many other inner-city neighborhoods throughout the US and the rest of the world.