Urban Innovation Networks

***New Paper*** Many of you are familiar with urban scaling, the idea that outcomes such as innovation and crime grow super-linearly with city size. But what if I told you that the "network of cities" was better at explaining some of these outcomes? In a new paper led by @xiaofanliang we explore this hypothesis by estimating networks for cities in the United States and China. In these networks, cities are connected based on social media friendships, travel patterns (human mobility), and scientific co-authorship (see figure). We use these networks to explain the patenting activity of American and Chinese cities, and ask whether a city's patents are better explained by population (urban scaling hypothesis) or by their centrality in these networks. We find that after we take the measures of centrality into account, population is no longer a significant predictor. In China, all three networks help explain innovative activity. In the US, the scientific co-authorship network is the most robust predictor. Network scaling seems to trump urban scaling when it comes to innovation. To explore this hypothesis further, we compare cities with similar population and different levels of connectivity, such as Corvallis (high connectivity) and Cumberland (low connectivity) in the US, or Shenzhen (high connectivity) and Handan (low connectivity) in China. This reveals that differences in connectivity explain the residuals observed in the urban scaling relationship between population and patenting. Certainly, this was not easy paper to make. It required collecting network level data for hundreds of cities in two large countries. But the prize was that it helped us explore beyond urban scaling, showing us that when it comes to patenting activity, a city's network connectivity explains more than its population. While our results are not causal, they are consistent with the idea that innovation depends on the flow and recombination of ideas. The paper also provides some insights about the network geography of China and the United States. China is a diamond (rhombus), with a Beijing-Shenzhen north-south axis and a Shanghai-Chongqing east-west axis (with Wuhan in the middle). But when we remove the geography, we see networks centered on Beijing, at least for the social media and the scientific co-authorship network. The US has more of an arc, or flyover structure, especially when it comes to the co-authorship networks linking the east and west coasts. In the US, social media friendships revolve around New York City, human mobility around N.Y.C and L.A., and science around Boston. This was a long project (about six years from idea to publication), so I am happy to finally see it published. My congratulations to @xiaofanliang who in the process became an assistant professor at the University of Michigan. Enjoy the networks and what they teach us about the world. https://lnkd.in/g5-6Mx_v

Are we realising the potential of our networks to make change happen? Most innovation emerges from collaborative projects where teams openly “borrow” & adapt each other’s (often small but powerful) ideas. Many networks & communities of practice could achieve so much more by experimenting together around collective priorities to generate & share new solutions. This is beyond spreading known “best” or “good” practices. It is about innovating to design new solutions collectively. So I appreciated this piece from Ed Morrison about three different kinds of networks: - Advocacy networks are communities that seek to mobilise people, creating pressure to shift policies, priorities or messages in a particular direction. Their aim is to connect & influence rather than to change how they themselves work. - Learning networks are communities of practice. They share knowledge, compare practice & build shared capability. Learning networks often excel at spread & improvement of existing practice, but only sometimes move into structured innovation work. - Innovating (or transforming) networks are communities that combine their assets - ideas, relationships, data, capabilities - to create new value that none could produce alone. They manage collaboration as a process of experimentation: agreeing a shared outcome, running multiple connected tests of change, learning by doing & amplifying what works across the network. https://lnkd.in/edbbexiG. Every learning network has the potential to become an innovating/transforming network. Some actions to enable this: 1. Build a foundation of strong, trusting relationships within the network, understanding each member’s starting point & motivation for change 2. Focus on helping each other to succeed; listen to each others’ stories & plans, co-coach, give advice to each other & build shared inquiry 3. Move from “sharing” or “raising awareness” to some concrete outcomes the network want to change together through collective experimentation 4. Agree some simple norms for the network so that members help each other to make progress, make it safe to try things, fail fast & share incomplete work 5. Encourage multiple, parallel tests of change around similar outcome so projects can “steal with pride” from one another & quickly refine promising ideas 6. Put simple routines in place for noticing patterns (what is shifting where & why), capturing these insights & amplifying them across the network 7. Add additional success metrics including innovations tested, adapted & adopted in multiple places Graphic by Ed Morrison. Content with added inspiration from June Holley.

Today, I am focusing on 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, for some ongoing research with Dominik Beckers. We are exploring the emergence of a new kind of public-oriented intermediary - actors that are claimed to be increasingly central to orchestrating urban digital transformations. In the process, I came across a relevant new article in Long Range Planning. The study investigates how intermediary organizations support the digital transformation of SMEs. What stood out to me is how strongly their findings resonate with the patterns we are observing in the urban domain. Their work builds on dynamic capabilities theory and outlines three intermediary capabilities that appear just as relevant in the public sector—particularly in the context of urban digital transformations. 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 This refers to the ability of innovation intermediaries to identify and create opportunities for transformation 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴. Instead of promoting digitalisation as a standalone goal, they engage with broader challenges that indirectly catalyse digital change. In urban settings, we often observe digital innovation emerging as a by-product of initiatives originally designed to meet non-digital goals. This capability is powerful because it embeds transformation within agendas that already have political traction and local urgency. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 This capability reflects the intermediary’s role in helping diverse stakeholders collaboratively design new business or governance models that support innovation. It is about facilitating structured, cross-sector collaboration to co-create pathways for implementing and sustaining digital solutions. In cities, where administrative fragmentation is often a barrier, this capability is essential to aligning interests and ensuring that digital services are viable in the long term. 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 This is about the strategic reconfiguration of innovation ecosystems. Intermediaries with this capability do not just connect actors, but they also actively reshape relationships, build new institutional arrangements, and promote shared practices that improve collaboration and scalability. In the urban context, this is particularly relevant as cities often struggle to move from pilot projects to citywide implementations. Ecosystem revamping is what enables the shift from scattered innovation to system-level change. Always fascinating to see these parallels between innovation research in the public and private sectors, reminding us that while the contexts may differ, the underlying dynamics of transformation often share more than we think. #DigitalTransformation #InnovationIntermediaries #SmartCities #PublicInnovation #DynamicCapabilities #InnovationEcosystems #UrbanInnovation #SmartCityGovernance

If you think urban reinvention begins with external funding or technology, think again. It begins with some critical so-called ‘local ingredients’: political will and courage, local autonomy, and the ability to look at development issues differently. Political Will and ‘Policy Entrepreneurs’: Reform-minded mayors and policy champions within departments (what we call ‘policy entrepreneurs’) play a critical role in unlocking bottlenecks and taking calculated risks. In Dhangadhi and Pasig, these individuals helped a mission-oriented approach into policy making. UNDP works to amplify their influence, helping create the institutional safety to experiment, iterate and scale. Decentralization as a Minimum Condition, Not a Guarantee: Decentralization offers local governments proximity to citizens and assets, but without the "muscle" of sufficient fiscal space and institutional capacity— crucial elements that go beyond mere mandates—cities cannot effectively respond to evolving challenges. Through our portfolios, we are equipping cities to flex this "muscle" turning autonomy into transformative action, by aligning policy levers, planning instruments, and engaging citizens in governance processes. Windows of Opportunity: Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Whether it’s the waste” bulge” in Pasig or shifting political dynamics in Khulna, moments of disruption create space to reimagine the rules. Our work with cities has reframed crises as entry points to tackle structural barriers, build new alliances, and shift urban trajectories. The Portfolio Approach: Connecting Nodes Across Systems: Cities aren’t collections of siloed sectors; they are complex systems of actors, assets and interests. The portfolio approach helps reframe urban challenges as opportunities for strategic coherence, bringing together disconnected projects and partners under a shared ambition. In doing so, UNDP supports cities to become network orchestrators, not just service providers, rewiring relationships between departments, donors and communities. Demonstrating What’s Possible: First Movers Unlock the Field: Transformative change rarely begins with consensus – momentum needs to be built. Most of the interventions started with early signals that shift perception of what’s possible. Whether it’s Pasig’s Innovation & Circular Economy (ICE) Hub or Dhangadhi’s plastic ban linked to women’s livelihoods, first bets have demonstrated proof of concept, inviting others to join and invest. To better grasp these key lessons, read on the in-depth cases of 3 cities: https://lnkd.in/dp5msHTq Alex Oprunenco Aisha Marzuki Purnima (Nima) Bajracharya Gwyneth Anne Palmos Sarah Sabin Khan UNDP Accelerator Labs UNDP in Asia and the Pacific #UrbanreInvention #CircularEconomy #Governance #PolicyInnovation #SustainableCities #SocialImpact

Activating City Networks Anyone on LinkedIn knows the power of networks. Each of us has a web of relationships that are rooted in the places where we grew up, the schools and universities we attended and the firms and occupations which shaped our professional lives. We have all learned how to mobilize these relationships to advance the professional careers of not only ourselves but also those with whom we have shared critical experiences. It is now time to use Network Science and “relational ecosystems” to steward cities and metropolitan areas through these tumultuous times. My latest piece with Kate W. Isaacs, a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, explores how to do that. Network mapping, which has become quite fashionable and was even used to help predict the outcome of Pope Leo XIV (!), does not lead to results by itself. Rather the tool becomes actionable when certain kinds of institutions and individuals act with focus and discipline. This period is forcing places to review the strength of their organizational structures, governance bodies and collaborative networks. Are they fit to purpose? Are they able to deploy the power of local networks and capital? This period is also elevating the role of network connectors, people who can move fast, work across and knit together fragmented constituencies and catalyze transformative change. Places like Hampton Roads and Pittsburgh are forging ahead precisely because they have remarkable connectors (Douglas L. Smith at the Hampton Roads Alliance, Joanna Doven at the Pittsburgh AI Strike Team) leading key organizations. It is time to name and elevate this new class of institutional and individual leadership, so common attributes can be distilled, spread and scaled! https://lnkd.in/gRf9MK4n