Innovation and Technology
In light of accelerated urbanization processes, population congestion and a dearth of suitable infrastructure, various cities around the world have in the past two decades begun to implement the use of technological tools. In the global technology arena, knowledge and information management, innovation and urban entrepreneurship capabilities have emerged, creating advanced management processes. In parallel, an awakening to civic involvement and participation can be seen, also accelerated by technological tools. The accelerated urbanization processes, climate crisis, coronavirus crisis and other serious challenges clarify the necessity of promoting technology and innovation in cities, in order to streamline the conduct of local government and its various derivatives and tailor the service to residents to meet both the needs of the period and the needs of future generations.
Background
Modern times bring challenges that require new modes of conduct. In urban innovation, we in practice seek to streamline processes or infrastructures with new insights and tools. Technology is one of many means used in these streamlining processes. Technology enables better supervision, faster deployment, the possibility of collaborations between the public and private sectors, and the ability to change and better adapt to changing needs.
The purpose of urban innovation is to alleviate problems in a given geographic area. Sometimes solving one problem has widespread implications, for example: a smart transportation arrangement in the city can create a variety of mobility measures, save time and expense, and encourage sports activities. Innovation is created from the combination of the forces of various “players” in the city: residents, business owners, social activists, local opinion-makers, non-profit associations, various government and municipal government bodies. Municipal government enables the connection between these entities, supports, budgets, is in direct contact with the residents, charts their needs and desires, and therefore plays a key role in the development of urban innovation. In light of various studies, urban innovation can be defined as intentional and proactive conduct that adopts new ideas aimed at creating quantitative and qualitative change in the urban space.
The purpose of this document is to detail the vision for the city’s innovation and technology’s goals and work plan. The vision is based on local, regional, national and global trends that affect the city and the model we seek to adopt, “the city as a service.” According to this model, the city is a mechanism that offers customers-residents more adapted and efficient infrastructures and services, while conducting a constant dialogue between the city’s administration and its residents. The work plan presented here is based on fruitful cooperation between various municipal entities, from the municipal director general and the Legal Department, through the municipal computing system, the Operations Manager, to municipal corporations and other entities that may contribute to the success of the necessary changes.
Vision
Streamlining the urban mechanism and upgrading urban infrastructure and resources by implementing innovative and technological tools and processes, and strengthening the digital interface with residents to encourage their involvement, facilitate their contacts with urban service systems and improve their quality of life.
The work process of creating a change using innovative tools will include these stages: 1. Charting the needs, understanding and learning them;
- Analyzing the various data and variables and drawing conclusions;
- Cooperation between all municipal elements and residents to create change;
- Finding common ways of working to implement the change;
- Supervision and drawing conclusions.
Major Trends and Tasks
Using digital tools to provide services and products online. In the urban conception, digitization is called “smart urban management.” This means anticipating direct communication with residents (customers) through digital services.
Collecting and analyzing information for decision making. The goal is to make decisions and promote data-driven urban processes.
The overreaching goal is to best coordinate all urban bodies and provide a fertile ground for intra-organizational innovation processes.
Accelerated urbanization and urban renewal processes require the laying of new infrastructures, both physical (such as garbage disposal, sewerage, electricity) and “soft” (such as applications, public participation).
The resident is a customer, partner and stakeholder in promoting urban innovation processes. His or her involvement in them is vital.
Major Trends and Tasks
Main Task | Trend |
Implementing a digital communication system between the resident and municipality, and producing a digital resident’s card containing information and benefits unique to him/her. The first stage, already in the development process, is a parking benefit system for city residents. | Digitization |
Expanding the use of existing information and information systems as a decision-making tool; analyzing the information (database) on the activities currently underway in the city and generating insights for improving their efficiency, promotion and development. Two systems have already been developed and are currently running. Additional systems will be characterized during the year. | Approaches and use of information |
1. Implementing innovation processes within the municipality. 2. Building a uniform, orderly and supervised mechanism for implementing technologies in the city. | Innovation as a process |
Implementing technological infrastructures for the benefit of urban systems. | Innovative infrastructures |
Adopting an approach whereby residents are partners in promoting urban projects and processes. | The customers’ perception |
The Challenges of Innovation
- Economic-financing barrier – Implementing innovation processes and new technologies requires budgetary resources. Traditionally, the public sector has financed innovation on the basis of cost savings (which resulted from the system’s efficiency) or a budget deficit, which enabled the investment. In many cases, funding difficulties continue to hinder the promotion of innovation in municipal authorities.
- Changes and risks – Innovation processes involve risks and do not guarantee certain success. To cross them, you must also contain situations in which they will not achieve some of the defined goals. An important part of building these processes is instilling the ability to contain cases in which they do not achieve their goal, but the organization as a whole learns from them.
- Structural-bureaucratic challenges – Government organizations sometimes rely too heavily on existing regulation and traditional practices, and therefore find it difficult to contain and digest innovative ideas.
- Structural-regulatory challenges – Government systems are conducted according to laws and regulations relating to contracts, tenders and procurements. These can often discourage entrepreneurs, as well as employees of the municipal authority itself, from implementing innovative ideas to solve the city’s problems. The role of the innovation process mechanism is to encourage and find solutions to these barriers.
- Challenges in communication between interested parties – Sometimes there is a lack of clarity and cooperation between elements in the organization regarding the correct ways to deal with the city’s challenges. This situation may impair the ability to examine and implement creative and innovative solutions to these challenges. Decentralization of responsibility that has not been carefully planned between public and social bodies, and an insufficiently clear division of functions can stop both decision making and leadership, and the development of innovation processes.
- Challenges in the concept of innovation – One of the immediate barriers to promoting innovation is ambiguity regarding the nature of its essence, which leads to reluctance or disinterest. Too many times it is exclusively linked to technology; as if its whole essence is the development of advanced technological tools. The conceptual discussion of the term “innovation” (which appeared at the beginning of this document) indicates that this is not the case. Innovation is a means through which the authority achieves certain outcomes, which generate value for residents and the city as a whole. The problem arises when innovation is automatically identified with technology. Because then most employees take themselves out of the picture, and the authority itself entrusts the whole issue of innovation to the computerization or information systems department. Moreover, when the concept of innovation in all its layers is misunderstood, rather reduced to technology only, innovation is perceived as a privilege of rich cities, as luxuries that poorer cities or small communities cannot afford. But it is precisely when resources are scarce that the need for innovation is often greater.
Guiding principles for executing work plans
- Economic-financing barrier – Implementing innovation processes and new technologies requires budgetary resources. Traditionally, the public sector has financed innovation on the basis of cost savings (which resulted from the system’s efficiency) or a budget deficit, which enabled the investment. In many cases, funding difficulties continue to hinder the promotion of innovation in municipal authorities.
- Changes and risks – Innovation processes involve risks and do not guarantee certain success. To cross them, you must also contain situations in which they will not achieve some of the defined goals. An important part of building these processes is instilling the ability to contain cases in which they do not achieve their goal, but the organization as a whole learns from them.
- Structural-bureaucratic challenges – Government organizations sometimes rely too heavily on existing regulation and traditional practices, and therefore find it difficult to contain and digest innovative ideas.
- Structural-regulatory challenges – Government systems are conducted according to laws and regulations relating to contracts, tenders and procurements. These can often discourage entrepreneurs, as well as employees of the municipal authority itself, from implementing innovative ideas to solve the city’s problems. The role of the innovation process mechanism is to encourage and find solutions to these barriers.
- Challenges in communication between interested parties – Sometimes there is a lack of clarity and cooperation between elements in the organization regarding the correct ways to deal with the city’s challenges. This situation may impair the ability to examine and implement creative and innovative solutions to these challenges. Decentralization of responsibility that has not been carefully planned between public and social bodies, and an insufficiently clear division of functions can stop both decision making and leadership, and the development of innovation processes.
- Challenges in the concept of innovation – One of the immediate barriers to promoting innovation is ambiguity regarding the nature of its essence, which leads to reluctance or disinterest. Too many times it is exclusively linked to technology; as if its whole essence is the development of advanced technological tools. The conceptual discussion of the term “innovation” (which appeared at the beginning of this document) indicates that this is not the case. Innovation is a means through which the authority achieves certain outcomes, which generate value for residents and the city as a whole. The problem arises when innovation is automatically identified with technology. Because then most employees take themselves out of the picture, and the authority itself entrusts the whole issue of innovation to the computerization or information systems department. Moreover, when the concept of innovation in all its layers is misunderstood, rather reduced to technology only, innovation is perceived as a privilege of rich cities, as luxuries that poorer cities or small communities cannot afford. But it is precisely when resources are scarce that the need for innovation is often greater.
Working plans
Tasks: To implement a digital system for direct communication between the resident and the municipality, and transfer central services to it.
The projects in this field:
- Small businesses – Operating the Haifa Cash Back mechanism, which generates digital communication with small business owners in Haifa through an internal system. The project is part of promoting small businesses affected during the coronavirus period and encouraging consumption from them (joint work together with the Haifa Economic Corporation).
- Parking benefits – A digital system that will form the base for one central digital communication line – a one-stop shop – for all of Haifa Municipality’s digital services. A step on the way to a Haifa Resident’s Card.
- Digital system for tourism – Characterizing and establishing an integrated digital system of all tourism services in Haifa (working together with the Haifa Tourism and Recreation Association).
Work plan in the field of access to and use of information
Tasks: Using the existing information and information systems as a decision-making tool; analysis based on data on current activities in the city with a forecast for the future.
Projects in this field:
- Cleaning and clearing garbage based on an information system – A joint work process with the Sanitation Department designed to improve the cleaning and waste disposal processes. Much data has been collected, an in-depth analysis was conducted, hot maps were drawn and operational conclusions reached.
- Graphical system for presenting data to decision makers – By collecting information we have established a GIS system that analyzes the activity of readings and brings it to the decision maker. In the computerized dashboard that has been established, the activity can be monitored and analyzed, and operational conclusions reached.
- Economic activity analysis – Through the Haifa Cash Back project, we will analyze the economic activity and centers of interest of small businesses in Haifa and create a database that will help these businesses.
Work plan in the field of innovation as a process
Tasks:
- To implement innovation processes and innovative thinking in the municipality;
- To build a uniform, orderly and supervised mechanism for implementing technologies in the city.
Projects in this field:
- Innovation processes in the Sanitation Department – a process of learning the needs has taken place, which included tours, field meetings, process work, searching for technological solutions, and even the beginning of implementing technologies for controlling and supervising the collection and emptying of bins. The accompaniment process continues and is strengthening.
- Technology implementation mechanism – writing a policy document regarding examining innovative technologies that promote various urban processes. Currently, a pilot procedure is being written for the operation of these technologies.
Work plan in the field of innovative infrastructures
Task: Implementing technological infrastructures for the betterment of urban systems.
Projects in this field:
- Replacing lighting with LED lighting – Charting urban needs relating to infrastructure installed on lamp posts, as part of replacing the city’s lighting from incandescent to LED lighting.
- Photovoltaic panel infrastructure – Charting and preparing a work plan on installing solar panels on the roofs of public buildings throughout the city (in cooperation with the Yefe Nof company).
- Hadar renewal – As part of the urban renewal program in the Hadar neighborhood, technologies that will improve the sense of security, commerce, culture and in general are being examined. Lighting systems, an economic-community strengthening system through the Haifa Cash Back project, strengthening the security camera system and technological solutions in tandem with the progress of the strategic plan.
Work plan in the field of customer perception
Task: In the spirit of the approach that sees the resident as a partner, the goal is to collect information from residents, businesses and government entities, edit and organize it so that it is open and accessible to all (open data) and can serve all interested parties – serving as a tool that facilitates the conduct of individuals, communities and businesses and improves municipal services.
Projects in this field:
- Business owners – Creating an integrated mechanism for strengthening the connection between the municipality and small businesses using digital tools. We are currently characterizing, together with the Business Licensing and Promotion Division and the Haifa Economic Corporation, a system for understanding the needs of business owners, and later we will create a communication system through which we can promote these businesses.
- Smart digital signage (in the long term) – Smart information systems that will be installed throughout the city and allow the resident to enjoy a “kiosk” of available information about various matters and events in the city.
