1 Institutions, Community and People: An Evaluation of a Longitudinal Digital Divide Experience

A community computing centre was established late 2001 in a city council high-rise apartment block in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. The centre was one of five computing hubs (centres) of the Smart Newtown Project, established with economic and social inclusion objectives, in the lower socio-economic suburb of Newtown. The project aim was to reduce inequalities of access to information and communications technology (ICT). A partnership approach was adopted that included multiple stakeholders; city council employees and councillors, a communications trust, universities, staff of a computer corporation and some apartment residents. After four years of operation the centre was closed and remains so at the time of writing. Using a theoretical framework that includes Warschauer’s (2003) model of ICT for Social Inclusion, the concept of social capital and Oldenburg’s (1991) Third Place, this paper examines reasons for the room’s closure. The main findings reveal that low social capital and the inadequate support of social resources in the form of the community and an institution were key factors in the closure of this initiative. Recommendations are made for implementing future projects