City Innovation

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Otsu

Japan

Mayor

Naomi Koshi

Population

340,973 (2015)

Innovation Website
Lead Innovation Officer

Yuji Nakatani

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Innovation is helping to:

  • Anticipate and manage future challenges

  • Improve service delivery

  • Save costs and improve efficiency within the public sector

Critical success factors:

  • Data not provided

Spotlight on innovation in Otsu

Otsu has been making efforts to promote public private partnership in response to the ageing and deterioration of public facilities in the city. This partnership aims to sustain the services of public facilities in the future. Through PPP, the municipality takes advantage of financial resources and expertise of the private sector to establish and maintain quality public facilities.

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, Otsu does not have an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to 20% of cities surveyed, Otsu approaches innovation capacity from a holistic/macro level.

Policy areas that Otsu is focused on

Digital governance
Policy areas by number of cities

Otsu utilizes 2 different innovation skills or roles

Project manager
Engineer
Innovation roles by number of cities

Terms Otsu most associates with innovation

Data analytics
Resident engagement

Otsu's most common innovation activities

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
Rethinking approaches to financing and partnerships
e.g. new public-private-partnerships; collaboration with neighboring jurisdictions
  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, Otsu has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.

Top sources of funding

Municipal 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.

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

Otsu also invests in digital systems and physical infrastructure as well as paying for services to a third party.

How is innovation measured?

Otsu has developed partnerships to promote its innovation capacity with private firms.

To improve data use, the city has also developed partnerships with the private sector, academia, and think tanks to collect and analyze data.

Data availability by policy area

7
1
7

Sufficient data

Transport/Mobility

Housing and built environment

Policing and law enforcement

Health

Waste and sewage

Education

Social inclusion and equity

Insufficient data

Economic Development

No Response

Water

Labour market and skills

Environment and climate change

Culture

Public works

Tourism

Digital governance