Costa Rica
Alicia Borja Rodríguez
78,000 (2020)
Irene García
Anticipate and manage future challenges
Improve resident outcomes
Simplify administrative procedures for firms and residents
Understand environmental challenges and plan ahead
Complement existing education programs led by the central government
Focus on measurement
Dedicated innovation team
Leadership from Mayor
Engagement with partners
Support from outside city administration
Dedicated funding
Culture of innovation in city
Curridabat uses a design-thinking approach to modernize antiquated systems, with a focus on conservation and climate change. Its Monitoring System for Ecosystem Services Improvement is a tool developed with a local research center that guides the city in assessing 26 indicators of ecosystem quality. Findings help inform budget decisions and achieve urban environment goals. In 2013, the mayor of Curridabat created the city’s first innovation team comprised of professionals from several different backgrounds. As of 2020, the position of Chief Innovation Official is located within the mayor’s office.
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Curridabat has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Curridabat approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.
Environment and climate change: Curridabat has created a development vision which prioritizes biodiversity. Curridabat is a "Sweet City" that strives to be a pollinator-friendly territory. Ecosystem services and coexistence between people and nature are at the forefront of their work.
Waste, sanitation, sewage: Waste management strategies seek to maximize composting and achieve zero-waste standards. The municipality works in order to tend to any kind of necessity their citizenry comes across in terms of waste disposal.
Situated within the Mayor’s Office, Curridabat’s dedicated innovation team consists of 3 staff.
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 19% of cities surveyed, Curridabat does not have dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
Curridabat has no reported sources of funding.
Curridabat does not fund any specific activities.
*"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.
Curridabat has developed partnerships to promote innovation capacity with other public agencies, private firms, 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, as well as with other cities.