Innovation in how cities are governed is seen as providing solutions for the many challenges facing cities: climate change, housing affordability, livability, inclusion, equity and access to services and more. But how and why are novel approaches to governance becoming increasingly popular? What do they involve? Who do they involve? How do they work? Indeed, do they work? And what do they mean for the role of ‘the state’ – for the role of government itself?
Join us for ‘Innovating Cities’, a special podcast series that examines how city governments are using innovative approaches to how they govern, to address urban problems and “make cities better”.
Across the series of episodes the Innovating Urban Governance team will be exploring these questions in conversation with practitioners from around the world about their insights in to the work of innovating city governance and its implications
Episode 1: Innovating urban governance: the work of Innovation Units
Innovation is seen as a solution for the many challenges facing city governments. But how and why are these novel approaches to governance becoming increasingly popular? Welcome to ‘Innovating Cities’, a special podcast series that examines how city governments are using innovative approaches to how they govern, to address urban problems and “make cities better”.
In this first episode, Pauline McGuirk and Tom Baker discuss what innovating city governance means and explore one key example of urban governance innovation in practice: innovation units. Drawing from research on innovation units in the United States, Europe and Australia, the team tackles questions around how these innovation units work, what they hope to achieve, and the challenges they encounter in practice. The episode also raises wider questions about the longer termed implications of working in ‘innovation mode’ for urban governance.
Guests
Pauline McGuirk is Senior Professor of urban geography and Director of the Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, University of Wollongong. Her work revolves around critical studies of urban governance, its changing geographies, material practices and politics, and the differential implications for urban places, communities, subjectivities and power.
Tom Baker is Associate Professor in the School of Environment, University of Auckland. His research focuses on how public policies are made and implemented, addressing social, institutional, ideological and spatial dimensions.
For more information about our podcast series, including transcripts, go here.
Find out more about our research project Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures here.
Special guests
Eliza Erickson, former Director of Innovation and Strategy
Office of Innovation and Technology, City of Philadelphia
James Corless, Executive Director
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Nico Diaz Amigo, Chief Innovation & Data Officer
Office of Accountability, Performance, & Innovation, City of Syracuse
Shane Waring, Lead
This podcast episode was supported by the Australian Research Council under Grant ARCDP200100176 Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures, a joint project by the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland.
Audio recording and editing by Jennifer Macey. Special thanks to Neale Davy.
Episode 2: Innovating urban governance: Design Thinking
What is design thinking and how might it be useful for city governments? In this episode Sophia Maalsen and Robyn Dowling discuss how design thinking is being conceptualised and operationalised in city governance innovation. Drawing from examples internationally and in Australia, they ask what design thinking means to those who use it, what it is used for, and how using design thinking may open up new opportunities to address urban problems.
Guests
Sophia Maalsen is Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney.
Robyn Dowling is Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney.
Thanks to our special guests Eliza Erickson (former Director of Innovation and Strategy,
Office of Innovation and Technology, City of Philadelphia); Arna Ýr Sævarsdóttir (Service and Digital Transformation Manager, City of Reykjavik); Kris Carter (former Co-Chair of the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics); Terrance Smith (Former Director of the Innovation Unit, City of Mobile); Duane Elverum (Executive Director and Co-Founder of CityStudio Vancouver) and Anne-Marie Croce (Program Lead, Customer Experience Transformation and Innovation, City of Toronto).
Episode 3: Innovating urban governance: the Creative Bureaucrat
Does creativity have a place in City Hall? The idea that bureaucracy should or can be creative certainly runs counter to common ideas we have of city government. But recently, that has begun to change. Innovation in city governance is being recast as ‘creative problem solving’. Drawing on stories from city governments around the world, Tom Baker and Pauline McGuirk discuss what it takes to build creative capacity within bureaucracies.
Guests
Tom Baker is Associate Professor in the School of Environment, University of Auckland.
Pauline McGuirk is Senior Professor of urban geography and Director of the Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, University of Wollongong.
Thanks to our special guests Anne-Marie Croce (Program Lead, Customer Experience Transformation and Innovation, City of Toronto); Brad Badelt (Director of Sustainability, City of Vancouver); James Corless (Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments); Eliza Erickson (former Director of Innovation and Strategy, Office of Innovation and Technology, City of Philadelphia); James Wagner (Chief Financial Officer, Office of Performance, Strategy and Innovation, City of Tulsa); Arna Ýr Sævarsdóttir (Service and Digital Transformation Manager, City of Reykjavik); Kris Carter (former Co-Chair of the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics) and Terrance Smith (Former Director of the Innovation Unit, City of Mobile).
Production
This podcast series was supported by the Australian Research Council under Grant ARCDP200100176 Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures, a joint project by the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland.
Audio recording and editing by Jennifer Macey. Additional editing by Emily Perkins. Coordination and additional scripting by Laura Goh. Special thanks to Brian Dwyer.
Logo image produced by Hotpot.ai
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