New technologies are raising a wide range of uncharted digital rights and digital governance issues, while also challenging long-established processes, sectoral relationships, and power structures in municipalities. This research brief tackles the long-standing problem of ensuring that technology procurement leads to long-term public value to city governments and residents. It does so by framing technology […]
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Digital data partnerships are initiatives that bring organizations together around a common goal, which they pursue through the sharing and leveraging of data. This report is intended to contribute to the creation and success of digital data partnerships in the public interest. In it, you’ll find practical information for building collaborative data governance that is […]
Using the State of Good Repair municipal standard as a starting point, this research brief highlights the infrastructure deficit in Canadian municipalities and frames the issue of infrastructure repair and planning in the context of investments in digital infrastructure. Smart city initiatives must be considered in tandem with existing and future planned infrastructure investments, especially […]
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This research brief explores the implications of deploying new technologies into public spaces. The public sphere shapes the urban experience and is a major area of discussion as communities balance the need to provide ample space for the public, as well as drive land use intensification. The COVID-19 pandemic has also demonstrated the importance of […]
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This research brief identifies how an open smart city approach could be applied to shared mobility in communities across Canada. From Uber to bike shares, the emergence of shared mobility services in the past few years has begun to disrupt and reshape transportation in local markets. As new services emerge and become increasingly more complex […]
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This research brief explores the issue of data collaboration among local community partners, drawing lessons from efforts to address food insecurity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal. The pandemic underlined the critical role of local governments and grassroots organizations in rapidly responding to complex economic and social challenges, which requires collaboration […]
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This guide is intended for municipal officials responsible for information technology or procurement in Canadian cities. This publication is an integral part of the open procurement approach developed by Open North based on successful experiments conducted by several Canadian cities, including Montreal (Quebec) and Bridgewater (Nova Scotia). The purpose of this guide is to recommend […]
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As digital infrastructure becomes a part of our cities at an unprecedented scale, the City of Toronto will increasingly have to reckon with the potential risks and impacts involving data that accompany it. The City is currently developing a policy framework and governance model to guide the introduction of connected, smart technologies. It has commissioned […]
As we engage our networks, including provincial and federal governments, to understand the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a range of data issues are coming to light that have repercussions on Canadian open government practices, namely: coordination, standardization, and communication of data. This is also Canada’s opportunity to assert leadership globally and to demonstrate the […]
This report is a summary of the preliminary findings of the Community Solutions Network Advisory Service, led by Open North. The report, which is situated at the halfway point of the Community Solutions Network’s first year of funding, provides the results of various stages of data collection and research into Open Smart Cities in Canada. […]
Read More… from The State of Open Smart Communities in Canada