United States
Mike Duggan
673,104 (2017)
Megan Thibos
Improve service delivery
Improve internal government operations
Improve resident outcomes
Dedicated funding
Focus on measurement
Dedicated innovation team
Leadership from Mayor
Support from outside city administration
Detroit has been operating various platforms to promote its innovation efforts. Improve Detroit is an application which allows residents to report problems in the city by sending geo-tagged photos to the appropriate departments for resolution. Detroit also connected over 50 data sources relevant to blight into a single demolition data platform to more effectively manage the blight demolition pipeline and increase transparency to residents.
Note: The City Innovation Snapshot (PDF version) was produced in 2019 and some aggregate findings have been updated with the latest survey results below.
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Detroit does not have an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to 24% of cities surveyed, Detroit approaches innovation capacity in specific policy areas/domains.
Situated in the Mayor’s office, Detroit’s dedicated team for innovation consists of 5 staff. The city also has other relevant teams including Office of Mobility Innovation, Lean Team, and Department of Innovation and Technology.
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, Detroit has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
Detroit also invests in digital systems and physical infrastructure.
Detroit has developed partnerships to promote its 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 the private sector, academia, and think tanks to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.