Improve resident outcomes
Improve service delivery
Anticipate and manage future challenges
Dedicated funding
Focus on measurement
Dedicated innovation team
Culture of innovation in city
Support from outside city administration
Leadership from City Manager
Human resource support
Designated as one of the two pilot tests for South Korea’s first-ever smart cities, the Eco Delta City (EDC) in Busan aims to become an urban model that helps resolve various challenges of rapid urbanization. Focusing on water management and robotic services, the project is a prime example of innovation-driven design, implementation and governance, and the use of new technologies.
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Busan has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Busan approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.
Busan is a state-designated smart city and blockchain special district. The city was also designated as an international tourist city this year.
Busan currently does not have a dedicated team for innovation.
Taking risks or testing new ideas
Data-driven analytics/public data management
Engaging residents in new ways
Developing new solutions based on digital technologies
Organizational change within the municipality
Human-centered design
Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships
Like 81% of cities surveyed, Busan has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
*"Training staff and building capacity" is not an option in the 2018 survey, while "Launching or sustaining a project" is not an option in the 2020 survey.
Busan has developed partnerships to promote innovation capacity with other public agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and city residents/resident associations.
To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with academia and think tanks to collect and analyze data.