Innovation is helping to:
Improve resident outcomes
Anticipate and manage future challenges
Improve internal government operations
Critical success factors:
Dedicated innovation team
Leadership from Mayor
Lexington
United States
Mayor
Jim Gray
Population
321,959 (2017)
Innovation Website
Lead Innovation Officer
Scott Shapiro
Spotlight on innovation in Lexington
Lexington is well on its way to becoming the largest gigabit city in the country. Through partnership with the private sector provider, the 100 million USD project will bring fast television, telephone, and internet service to the city as early as fall 2018. The idea behind the city’s innovation capacity is to bring to life transformational projects that fall outside the way the city typically functions.
Note: The City Innovation Snapshot (PDF version) was produced in 2019 and some aggregate findings have been updated with the latest survey results below.
Vision and approach to innovation capacity
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Lexington has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to 20% of cities surveyed, Lexington approaches innovation capacity from a holistic/macro level.
Policy areas that Lexington is focused on
Policy areas by number of cities
Lexington utilizes 1 innovation skill or role
Innovation roles by number of cities
Situated in the Mayor’s office, Lexington’s dedicated team for innovation consists of less than 5 staff.
Innovation projects are presented to either the Mayor or an advisory board for decision.
Terms Lexington most associates with innovation
Lexington's most common innovation activities
- 1
Taking risks or testing new ideas
- 2
Data-driven analytics/public data management
- 3
Engaging residents in new ways
- 4
Developing new solutions based on digital technologies
- 5
Organizational change within the municipality
- 6
Human-centered design
- 7
Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships
How is innovation funded here?
Like 81% of cities surveyed, Lexington has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
Top sources of funding
Activities being funded
47 cities
Launching or sustaining a project
79 cities
Idea generation & brainstorming
51 cities
Investing in digital systems
36 cities
Investing in physical infrastructure
30 cities
Paying for services
Lexington also invests in physical infrastructure.
How is innovation measured?
Lexington has developed partnerships to promote its innovation capacity with departments in the city, private firms, not-for-profit organizations, and city residents/resident associations. The city has also fostered partnerships with academia/think tanks, philanthropy, and other cities.