The Netherlands
Onno van Veldhuizen
159,000 (2019)
Gerdien Looman
Anticipate and manage future challenges
Save costs and improve efficiency within the public sector
Improve service delivery
Dedicated funding
Focus on measurement
Culture of innovation in city
Leadership from Mayor
In the spirit of collaboration and knowledge sharing, Enschede has entered into an innovative partnership with other Dutch cities. The independent cooperative, named “Dimpact”, is designed to initiate and co-create innovative solutions for optimal public service delivery. The city has co-developed “I4 Sociaal”, a digital environment where residents can create a tailored public profile with their personal data. Based on these data, the municipality can offer targeted solutions and public information useful for users. The platform enables municipalities to provide residents with useful information about facilities and important regulations in a quick and efficient manner.
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Enschede does not have an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Enschede approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.
Enschede’s innovation work is sprinkled throughout the municipality, with no dedicated staff working specifically on building innovation capacity .
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, Enschede 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.
Enschede 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 the private sector, academia and think tanks, to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.