We've only just begun. There are 570,000 local governments around the world. But only 2,500 are pursuing smart city projects. And a mere 145 in the United States are committed to building gigabit broadband. Just a handful are doing it strategically. Most are flying by the seat of their pants. Everywhere we look, we find cities that are just starting to grapple with the challenges of digital technology. A pioneering vanguard of cities are leading the way. But what can they teach the rest of us?
We work with clients in industry, government, and the non-profit sector to create the conditions for smart cities to flourish organically, by design. Our approach emphasizes foresight, unconventional approaches to economic development, social capital analytics, and digital inclusion as keys to enabling urban innovation.
Sources: CityMart, Huawei, Next Century Cities
Our knowledge of the full variety of global efforts to develop smart cities, living labs, innovation districts and urban testbeds provides a wealth of research to draw upon for any planning or policymaking effort.
Smart cities work best when they are built by engaged citizens from the bottom-up, but creating the conditions for these efforts to succeed requires careful preparation, planning and design.
Forecast and trend research provides an outside-in view of an entire field, and can provoke and inform strategic discussions in organizations of all shapes and sizes.
We provide structured learning experiences for a variety of purposes, from development for young leaders to immersive strategy creation for senior officials.
