Page 23 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

Internet access, web-based development tools and platforms, cloud-based solutions, as well as
online access to innovation and making communities make it far easier for innovation to take
place, even in smaller locations. Local innovation is facilitated by technologies that put information,
ideas and the tools to put ideas into action in the hands of many, at relatively low cost. Creative
and collaborative platforms can be used to develop interventions and solutions appropriate to
a particular time, place and cultural context. Such tools make it possible for multiple partners to
work together, pooling resources and experimenting, making it more likely that effective solutions
will be found.

The world in 2020 is at a crossroads. Disruption caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic and
mass movements for equality and social justice provide a real opportunity to shift the smart city
conversation towards greater equality, community empowerment, and local innovation to create
new areas for and approaches to economic and social development. New technologies and
approaches can provide residents with the means to actively participate in the city, “motivated
to collaborate with each other to create new use cases and applications that solve specific local
problems”. 36

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