This is the first blog post in a series spotlighting the newest workshop series from the Community Solutions Network program. For this initiative, Open North is launching three new Communities of Practice and an online collaboration forum. These communities are composed of civil servants and Indigenous leaders from towns, cities, or regions all across Canada. Over the course of several months, Open North will support participants as they develop their projects using data and technology for the common good. By joining, participants will receive tailored and in-depth resources that contribute to tangible outcomes while benefiting from collaboration in a larger network of peers – all at no cost to participants. The program is funded by Infrastructure Canada, and is offered as a component of a larger open smart cities program led by Evergreen Canada.
At Open North, we often find ourselves exploring the intersections between the idea of Open Smart Cities and Open Smart Communities. So, delving into that question — among others — with our partners seemed like a natural starting point as part of the launch of the next phase of our program.
The latest workshop series from the Community Solutions Network kicked off yesterday by hosting a panel with three previous participants in the network: the City of Kelowna (BC), Town of Cochrane (AB), and City of Fredericton (NB). As members of what we think of as our community of open, smart leaders they spent an hour with our urbanist in residence Matthew Claudel – who incidentally was a juror on the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge that spurred so many of these projects. Together, they discussed the impressive range of innovative data and technology projects that these three communities have developed in recent years.
This conversation was a perfect example of why we talk about both cities and communities. On the one hand, these were cities, and cities frequently are the most prominent examples of digital innovation and change. In rethinking how services can be designed and delivered to improve the lives of people, cities are at the creative forefront due to their resources, population density, and relative agility. Talking about Open, Smart Cities makes practical sense: this is frequently where the most change can be made. Our panel participants were no exception:
- Cochrane is pioneering an on-demand public transport system that not only makes mobility more efficient for the city, but also makes it more accessible to all residents of the city.
- Fredericton has developed an impressive ecosystem around its Boost lab to engage the best and brightest of its students in developing digital technology-driven solutions across the city.
- Kelowna is building out a broad array of sensors, analytics and data platforms for monitoring water and predicting extreme events like flood and drought. Combined with governance strategies the initiative actively builds collaboration across the region’s sectors.
On the other hand, here were three cities that were also dedicated to using data and technology to build and strengthen communities as a value in and of itself. Digital technologies can easily be about providing individuals with a service – and forget that what makes a city strong is the capacity and cohesion of its communities. Whether it’s through adaptive transportation, an innovation platform, or an open water governance platform, each city is actively building out a stakeholder ecosystem by bringing their residents and communities on board and integrating them into the solution development process.
This is why Open North talks about both Open Smart Cities and Open Smart Communities. In the Community Solutions Network, we will be supporting projects that build such community, but we will also be building community between participants to create a larger ecosystem of support and innovation. Through online collaboration spaces, one on one advice and support, and our Communities of Practice program, we are supporting the next generation of open smart projects, communities, and cities.
Publicly discussing our approach to data and technology is a core mission at Open North. This blog will continue to provide insight and commentary on the Community Solutions Network program as it runs to add to the conversation. With 5 workshops and a dozen Q&A sessions lined up over the next six months, as well as numerous fascinating projects from the participants, we have a great deal to talk about!
If this excites you as much as it does us, please don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more! The program is sponsored by Infrastructure Canada and is completely free to all participants. We can be reached at info@opennorth.ca and look forward to answering your questions, hearing your ideas, and supporting you on your journey to using data and technology for your community’s good.