Researching and Documenting Innovative Responses to Urban Pressures

Amanatidou (2014)argues forcritical recognitionandqualificationofawiderangeofperspectivesonwhat’socialinnovation’mightmean,including’innovationtomeetsocialneedsandcreatenewsocialrelationshipsorcollaborations’;’innovationsthataresocialinboththeirendsandmeans’;’innovationstosatisfysocialneedsofdisadvantagedpeopleorcommunitiesthroughhelpingtodeveloptheircapacities’;and’innovationtodevelopalternativestothemarket-basedeconomymodeladopting[social]principles’.Shethusproblematisestheover-simplificationofinnovationasjustbeingeither’bypeople’or’forpeople’.Ratherthanasingleconceptualisationor theory clearly defining social innovation, it is therefore left to awide range of potential interpretationsthatlinkinnovationtosocietalissuesandagency.Lietal.(2012)suggestthatsocialinnovationstudiesenableresearchers to“address the need to strengthen human relations in forms of association, collaboration, andcooperationbetweenagents,inordertochangetheinstitutionalbasedinfrastructureinthecircumstancesofeverydaylife”(ibid.:57).ThislinkssocialinnovationbacktotheSchumpeterianideathatinnovationmustinvolveachangeinthefactorsofproduction,namelyinputs,orinthesocialcontext,thesocialsystems,toproducenewordifferentproducts,theoutputs,orinthesocialcontext,increasedwell-being.

‘Systems of Innovation’ Approach

Defining innovation on its own, however, is not sufficient for the purposes of urban or city development.Importantly,innovationisconsideredtobesystemic:itisaninnovationsystemasopposedtomerelyaseriesof innovations. It systemically considers thediffusion, absorptionanduseof innovation (Lundvall, 1992).The‘Systems of Innovation’ (or‘innovation systems’) approach locates innovation as the result of complex andmultipleinteractions,forexample,flowsoftechnologyandinformation.Theseinteractionsincludeavarietyofactorsandtheirenvironment,producingavirtuoussystemofnetworking,learningandcollaborationamongthemultipleactorsoftheinnovationsystem.Thesedynamicsresultinsystemiclearninganddistributeknowledgethroughoutthesystem,leadingtostrengtheningdevelopmentalcapabilitieswithinit(Lundvall,Joseph,ChaminadeandVang,2009:2-3ascitedinKaruri-Sebina,2014:3).Thisapproachalsoconsiderstheframeworkconditionsthatrepresenttheoverallconditionsintheeconomy,governance,educationandinfrastructure.Theseconditionsaredeemednecessaryforinnovationsystemstofunction(Karuri-Sebina,2014).Thesystemsapproachenhancesthelinkbetweeninnovationandeconomicdevelopment,astrategybelongingtoeducationalinstitutions,researchanddevelopmentdepartments,anduniversitiesthatprovidethenecessaryimpetusforinnovationandgrowth(Niosi,2008).

Thesearethefourdistinctcontributorstotheconceptof‘SystemsofInnovation’(Lundvall,1992):

• Thedistinctroleofactors,suchasgovernmentdepartments,politicalstructures,companies,academicandresearchinstitutionsandcivilsocietyorganisations.

• Thenatureandtypesofinteractionbetweentheactors.• Theunderpinningroleofpoliciesandinstitutions.• Theconstitutedknowledgebasesofthesystem.

Itisusefultoconsiderhowsocialinnovation,inallitsvariety,playsouteffectivelyinthestoryofsuccessfulcities.Thevarietyincitiescreatesthespaceforinnovation,startingwiththedemandside,expressedinthecomplexrangeofkeycityissuesdescribedbyRavetzandMiles(2015):

• Social:housing,health,education,poverty.• Technical:transport,communications,innovation.• Economic:localjobs,businesses,investment,regeneration.• Environmental:energy,water,climate,habitats,waste,pollution.• Policy:localgovernance,organisationsandnetworks.

However,havingarguedthatcitiesarethepremier innovativespaces, Johnson(2008)alsoproposesthatnoteverycityis,infact,innovative.Acityneedsacombinationofspecificfactorsandconditionsforurbaninnovationtohappenonthesupplyside.Heproposesthatthefollowingarekeyconditionsforinnovationtothriveinacity:

• Acreativeclassthatdrivesinnovation.• Certainqualitiesthatattractandkeepthecreativeclassinthecity

-Accesstogoodpublicservices -Qualitypublicspacesandopportunitiesforrecreation -Diversity -Potentialforhigherincomes -Politicalwill

• Appropriateinstitutionalcapacity.• Anunderstandingoftheprocessofinnovationinacity.• Policythatsupportsinnovation.• Developedknowledgeinfrastructure,especiallyknowledgeinstitutionsandinformationtechnology

hardwareandsoftware(ibid.)

Consideringaninnovationecosystemsapproach,however,itisusefultonotethatotherauthorsextendtheideaofinnovationactorsininnovationbeyondtheideaofaprivileged’creativeclass’andformalknowledgeworkers.Thisintroducesmoreinclusiveideasofcitizenengagementinco-productionandalsoofinformalor‘grassroots’innovation.Beyondtraditionalnotionsofuniversity-basedresearch,Forsyth(2007)arguesthatnumerousactorsmustbeinvolvedintheproductionofknowledgetodevelopinnovativesolutionstoproblems.However,thecomplex factors involved in developing innovative solutions, in the importance of research in finding thesealternatives,andinvolvingarangeofactorstodoso,arereal.Social,economicanddesignaspectsarederivedfromreal-worldpractice.

TheexistenceoftheGuangzhouUrbanInnovationAwardsprogrammeitselfisindicativeofthescaleoffocusandambitionthatChinahasregardingurbaninnovationatasub-nationallevel.TheSouthChinacityofGuangzhouisthecapitalofGuangdongProvince,andisreportedtohaveinexcessof7millioninhabitants.Drivenbypressureto be innovative and competitive, the city embarked upon what is probably now the most internationallyrepresentativeurbaninnovationcompetition.

Theawardsprogrammeisonethatallowsthecityto invitepeers fromaroundtheworldtodocumentandsubmit their innovative practices to a technical review and jury process.Through this, international expertsselecttopurbaninnovationpracticesaccordingtoregionalandglobalstandards.Inadditiontosignallingthecity’sinterestinurbaninnovationlocallyandglobally,theconceptputsthecityintoanadvantageousposition.Itisherewhereinnovativecitiesaroundtheworldwillinglysharetheirideas.

Thecityessentiallyhasthepositionandstructuresinplacetoscanandscrutinisethebestideasintheworldfortheirownconsideration.TheGuangzhouUrbanInnovationAwardsplatformhasdrawnstrongparticipationinitstwoinauguralrounds(2012and2014),inwhichitattractedatotalofover400applicationsfromover150citiesfromover50countries.The2014submissionsweresimplythematisedincrementally,andthenclustered,basedonkeywordsandapplicationdescriptions.Best-fitassignmentswerebasedontheresearcher’sjudgement.Whereprojectscoveredmorethanonetheme, theywereassignedtobothasduplicationwasallowed.Thepurposeoftheexercisewastoestablishfrequencyofthethemes.AnanalysisoftheAwardcontestantsinthemostrecentroundwasconductedbytheauthorofthischapter,toidentifypatternsinurbaninnovationtrendsregionally,asrepresentedbythisdataset.Inorderoffrequency,thetopthemesofthesubmissionswere:

• Environment:issuesofecology,sustainabilityandbiodiversity,climatechange,resilience,emissions.• Governance:citygovernanceandadministration,corruption,democratisationandparticipation.• InformationSystems:informationtechnologysystems,dataandsmarttechnologies.• Socialissues:familyandcommunity-buildinginitiatives.• [Public]Transport.• Urbanandneighbourhoodregeneration.

Otherrecurringthemeswhichemergedtoa lesserextent,werewastemanagement,vulnerablepopulations,particularlyissuesofgenderanddisability,arts,cultureandheritage,health,economicissuesincludingpoverty,architectureandthebuiltenvironment,education,emergencyservicesanddisasterresponse,housingandhumansettlements,safetyandsecurity,water,innovation,agricultureandfoodsecurity,andenergy.

China: Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation

TheGuangzhouUrbanInnovationAwardsanalysisforAsiashowsamainfocusonpublicandNon-MotorisedTransport, and on environmental issues, likewaste or resourcesmanagement. Some examples of theAsiansubmissionsthatwereshortlistedorwinnersare:

• Ahmedabad,India:Janmarg–BusRapidTransitSystem• ChiangRai,Thailand:UrbanEcosystemandBiodiversityConservationtowards

SustainableCityandClimateChangeResilience• Kaohsiung,Taiwan:1999Anytime,Anything,Anywhere• Sakhnin, Israel:TAEQ’s (TownsAssociation for EnvironmentalQuality)Green

BuildingofSakhnin:CenterforEnvironmentalResearchandEducation• Seoul, Korea: Healthy Seoul Free from Internet Addiction of Children and

Adolescents• Sylhet, Bangladesh:A Disaster Resilient Future: Mobilizing Communities and

InstitutionsforEffectiveRiskReduction

2012

• AbuDhabi,UnitedArabEmirates:Tailor-madecuttingedgegreenbuildingsystem

• Gwangju,Korea:‘Incentivising’householdstoreduceGHGthroughdevolvedtargets

• Hangzhou,China:Innovationinalarge-scaleoperationandmaintenanceofpublicservicedelivery

• Jakarta,Indonesia:Engagementofpoliticalleadershipinpro-poorparticipatoryprocess

• Kunming,China:FreeBusServicebytheElderlyinKunming

• Phitsanulok,Thailand:PhitsanulokLowCarboncity

• TelAviv,Israel:TheTelAviv-YafoMunicipalityResidentsClub–‘Digitel’

2014

2014

2012

• Bristol,UnitedKingdom:Bristol’sBigGreenWeek-InspiringChange,Europe’sBiggestFestivalofSustainability.

• Düsseldorf,Germany:DevelopmentConceptfortheSouth-easternInnerSuburbs(EKISOor‘EntwicklungsgebietInnenstadtSüd-Ost’)–JointActionforaStrongLocalCommunity.

• Kocaeli,Turkey:PrepareBeforeIt’sTooLate:LearnToLiveWithEarthquake

• Perm,Russia:‘TransformingtheCity’–PermStrategicMasterplanandtheImplementationEngineoftheTransitionfromIndustrialCitytotheLiberalCreativeCommunity.

• Salerno,Italy:Sustainableenergynow.

• Tallinn,RepublicofEstonia:FreePublicTransportinTallinn–ABraveSteptowardstheGreenCapital.

• Vienna,Austria:StartWien–AProgrammeforNewMigrantstoHelpThemSettleInandFacilitateTheirIntegrationinVienna.

• Bremen,Germany:Liveablestreets,liveablecity!

• Bristol,UnitedKingdom:Citizen-centricapproachtotheSmartcity.

• Eskisehir,Turkey:EskisehirCityMemoryMuseum.

• Hamburg,Germany:Socially-inclusiveapproachtobuildingazero-carbondistrict.

• Linköping,Sweden:Long-termconsensusdrivenalignmentforattainingcarbonneutrality.

• Malmo,Sweden:ClimateSmartHyllie.

• Sabadell,Spain:Sabadellsmartcityasacatalystforbuildingthecityofthefuture.

TheGuangzhouUrban InnovationAwards analysis showed European applications tomainly focus on threebroadareas:smartcities;climateprogrammes,greenprogrammesandemissions;andprojectsinparticipatorygovernance.Someoftheleadingprojectswere:

Europe: European Union

IntheGuangzhouUrbanInnovationAwardsanalysis,SouthAmericaemergedashavingapplicationsthatmainlyconcentratedonsocialprogrammes,safetyprogrammes,mainlycrimeanddisasterresponse,andInformationandCommunicationsTechnologyandbigdatainitiatives.Someoftheleadingprojectswere:

Latin America: Brazil, Colombia

2012

• Aguascalientes,Mexico:TheGreen Line: SocialDevelopmentComprehensivePlan.

• BuenosAires:PublicParticipationinCommune8.

• Curitiba,Brazil:TheGreenAreasofCuritiba–linkingenvironmentalpreservationtourbandevelopment.

• Medellin,Colombia:MedellinDigital.

• Mexico City, Mexico: Support for Social Participation in Action for theConservationandRestorationofEcosystems.

2014

• Antioquia,Colombia:Knittingregionalterritorythroughinnovationineducation

• Bogotá,Colombia:ZeroWasteProgram:afocusinreusewithsocialinclusion

• BuenosAires,Argentina:Dialoguefordecisionmakingforurbanprojects

• PortoAlegre, Brazil:Datapoa – the open data project of theCity of PortoAlegre

• Recife,Brazil:Recife,partforlife–urbansafetymanagement)

• RiodeJaneiro,Brazil:Usingbigdataforintegratedriskmanagementandaction

• São Paulo, Brazil: State Program for Prevention of Natural Disaster andMitigationofGeohazards

ThebalanceoftheregionsapplyingtotheGuangzhouUrbanInnovationAwards(Africa,NorthAmericaandOceania)hadrelativelyfewapplications,totallinglessthan10%oftotalapplications.Theywerethereforetoosmallasample,coveringtoowidearangeofthemes,forgeneralisinganytrends.

ForNorthAmerica,theleadingprojectswere:

TheUnitedStatesofAmericaisprobablythemostrenownedregionoftheworldforinnovation,havinghadaprovenabilityandtrackrecordtogivebirthtowholenewrangeofindustriesoverarelativelyshorthistory.Examplesincludeinnovationsinsteel, logistics,electricity,food,financialsystems,InformationTechnology(IT),warfare,corporatestructure,governance,andsoforth.Somewhatreflectiveofthis,theAmericansubmissionstoGuangzhouawardswere,whilefew,interestinghybridsofpublicandprivateinvolvement,andmostwithastronglocalfocus.

North America

2012 • Vancouver,Canada:VisionaryVancouver:Creatingawelcomingandsustainableplaceforall.

2014

• Boston, United States ofAmerica: Empowering youth through participatorybudgeting.

• Dubuque,UnitedStatesofAmerica:SmarterSustainableDubuque.

• Ottawa,Canada:Ottawa’sInnovativeSpirit:Transforminganeconomythroughdiversificationandentrepreneurship.

• Vancouver,Canada:WestEndCommunityPlan.

GOVERNMENT ACADEMIA PRIVATE SECTOR COMMUNITIES

• Politicalwillandalignmentofintentand action

• Policy experimentation

• Commitmentto evidence based policy

• Long-termvision andconsistency

• Horizontal coordination and policycoherence

• Promotesocial innovation and address barriers toentry

• Demand-driven education and research

• Newtypesof scientists that understandsocialneeds.Inter-andtrans-disciplinarity

• Creativeinnovationsandreformsinthe education and researchsystems

• Collaborationandlearningwithoutboundaries (using InformationandCommunicationTechnologies,regionalcollaboration,mobility,diaspora)

• Identifyandnurtureentrepreneurship fromanearlystage

• Mentorandcoach• Alignskillformation

to business needs• Identifyandpursuesocialimpactmarkets

• Recognisenon-technologyandnon-research-and-development-basedinnovation

• Brokerageacrossinnovationcycle

• Bridgethegaptothemarket

• Promotevaluechain upgrading and integration

• Beactiveactorsforinnovation;raiseawarenessandcapacitytoarticulate

• Creativeapproachesforknowledgeappropriation and open innovation

• Communicationstrategiesforthedissemination ofresearchand innovation achievements

• Support”learningcommunities”orlearningplatforms