City Innovation

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Miami

United States

Mayor

Francis X. Suarez

Population

463,347 (2017)

Innovation Website
Lead Innovation Officer

Mike Sarasti

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Innovation is helping to:

  • Improve internal government operations

  • Improve service delivery

  • Improve resident outcomes

Critical success factors:

  • Dedicated funding

  • Focus on measurement

  • Dedicated innovation team

  • Culture of innovation in city

Spotlight on innovation in Miami

Miami recently launched a redesigned website that is a product of a series of user-centered design sessions. The site offers more than 50 detailed services such as permit instructions, trolley information and park reservations. The city continues to prioritize and re-design new services based on customer feedback with a goal of replacing the old website.

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, Miami has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to 20% of cities surveyed, Miami approaches innovation capacity from a holistic/macro level.

Policy areas that Miami is focused on

Miami does not prioritise policy sectors for its innovation work.

Policy areas by number of cities

Miami utilizes 2 different innovation skills or roles

Project manager
Community engagement staff
Innovation roles by number of cities

Within the Department of Innovation and Technology, Miami has 5 dedicated staff for innovation.

Terms Miami most associates with innovation

Experimentation
Human-centered design

Miami's most common innovation activities

Engaging residents in new ways
Facilitating organizational change within the municipality
e.g. silo-busting; new internal performance management; staff training and capacity building on innovation tools or techniques; reforms to contracting or procurement
  1. 1

    Taking risks or testing new ideas

  2. 2

    Data-driven analytics/public data management

  3. 3

    Engaging residents in new ways

  4. 4

    Developing new solutions based on digital technologies

  5. 5

    Organizational change within the municipality

  6. 6

    Human-centered design

  7. 7

    Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships

How is innovation funded here?

Like 81% of cities surveyed, Miami has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.

Top sources of funding

Municipal budget
city council approved funds/operating budget
Municipal budget
This could include, for instance, City Council approved funds; operating budget; a special funding process (bond, Mayoral special initiative funding, etc.); and participatory budgeting / citizen-selected budgeting.
External funding
philanthropy/non-profit
External funding
This could include private, philanthropic/non-profit and/or academic/think tank resources.

Activities being funded

Launching or sustaining a project
Idea generation & brainstorming
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

Miami also invests in digital systems.

How is innovation measured?

Miami has developed partnerships to promote its innovation capacity with other public agencies and city residents/resident associations.

To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with private philanthropy to collect and analyze data.

Data availability by policy area

5
4
6

Sufficient data

Transport/Mobility

Housing and built environment

Policing and law enforcement

Waste and sewage

Environment and climate change

Insufficient data

Economic Development

Labour market and skills

Education

Social inclusion and equity

No Response

Health

Water

Culture

Public works

Tourism

Digital governance