Stay ConnectedFrom the Wiki for local government innovation, the Govlaunch podcast shares the stories of local government innovators and their efforts to build better governments. Through conversations with cities and towns around the world, each episode explores creative solutions to the challenges communities face, and what local governments can learn from each other’s successes and failures.
Visit govlaunch.com for more stories and examples of local government innovation.
Copyright: © 2021 Govlaunch Inc.
The goal of the social innovation initiative? A sense of community and collaboration to promote development of local nonprofits to ultimately strengthen the City. Launched in early 2020, Thrive Collaborative Center is the first co-working space in the Fox Valley area that supports the social sector. Read more.
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Featured government: Aurora, IL
Episode guests: Adrienne Holloway, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer
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Episode guests:
Conor Dowling PHD, Smart Sandyford Programme Manager
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The Borough of Camden in the U.K. recently received funding from the central government as part of the COVID-19 Challenge to address the impact of the pandemic on public engagement in planning and place-making.
Today, I sit down with Jonathan McClue and Kirsty Paul to talk about the project, what inspired them to be one of the first local authorities in the UK to take this approach, and what’s next for the innovative borough of Camden. Read more...
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Featured government: Borough of Camden, UK
Episode guests:
Jonathan McClue, Principal Planning Officer at London Borough of Camden
Kirsty Paul, Developments Plan Manager at London Borough of Camden
Visit govlaunch.com for more stories and examples of local government innovation.
In previous episodes, we’ve talked about how cities are addressing both opiate misuse and homelessness. We’ve covered everything from human-centered support programs to AI models aimed at homeless prevention. Today, Olivia from our team chats with Professor Monique Marks in Durban, South Africa to learn more about their first of its kind harm reduction initiative. Let’s learn how the COVID-19 crisis created an opportunity to shift culture and make the seemingly impossible happen in Durban. Read more.
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Featured government: Durban, ZA & eThekwini Municipality, ZA
Episode guests: Prof. Monique Marks, Head of UFC@DUT
Visit govlaunch.com for more stories and examples of local government innovation.
A few weeks back we chatted with Mat Daley, CIO for the City of London, Ontario, and skimmed the surface of an innovative project using AI to predict the likelihood of someone falling into chronic homeless.
It’s a tactic that could benefit communities around the world, so now we’re going straight to the source. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Ross, Manager of Artificial Intelligence and IT for the City of London to dive into this groundbreaking project and the use of AI in local government more generally.
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Featured government: London, ON
Episode guests: Matt Ross, Manager of Artificial Intelligence and IT
Visit govlaunch.com for more stories and examples of local government innovation.
Corona has been working on some pretty exciting things...one of which is an entirely reimagined IT infrastructure. In partnership with Citrix, Corona has pioneered a new cloud-based VDI model.
Like most local governments, Corona didn’t necessarily have an emergency plan for a global viral outbreak. But they did have protocols for another risk: earthquakes. If a natural disaster struck, the city’s IT infrastructure couldn’t be onsite. So when the pandemic hit, Corona was already well on its way toward making it easy for staff to work from anywhere. Read More.
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Featured government: Corona, CA
Episode guests: Chris McMasters, CIO
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Before a city gets to the shiny innovation projects, there are some major foundational pieces it needs to have in place. Now, these aren’t always sexy. They aren’t always even visible. But they’re critical for any city looking to establish long term sustainability, resilience and a culture of innovation. In this episode, Russell Rogers from Naperville, IL discusses how his city is going back to basics and laying the foundation for a future rooted in innovation. Read more...
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Featured government: Naperville, IL
Episode guests: Russell Rogers, IT Project Manager
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In September 2019 Indianapolis unveiled its first bus rapid transit (BRT) route, built entirely around better buses. It's a great example of a simple and effective way to improve transit from a low-cost and green perspective — especially for other low-density cities that are looking to boost mobility without investing in costly rail-based systems. Read more...
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Featured government: Indianapolis, IN
Episode guests: Inez Evans, President and CEO of IndyGo
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The Ohio town introduced a simple, but groundbreaking approach to tackle the opioid crisis. Geoff Milz, Township Administrator, and Will Mueller, Assistant Chief Administrative Services talk about their award winning, low-tech, high-impact Quick Response Team model, as well as Colerain's budget friendly approach to innovation through projects large and small. Read more...
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Featured government: Colerain Township, OH
Episode guests: Geoff Milz, Colerain Township Administrator, and Will Mueller, Assistant Chief Administrative Services.
Visit govlaunch.com for more stories and examples of local government innovation.
The city of Rochester, MI recently reconstructed an entire street — from the sidewalk to the street to the water, sewer, lighting — all at once. We'll catch up with Blaine Wing and Gordie Wilson to talk about the city’s award-winning work, and what it takes to build connections inside and outside the local government. Read more...
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Featured government: Rochester, MI
Episode guests: Blaine Wing, Rochester City Manager, and Gordon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick, Inc.
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