Innovation is helping to:
Improve service delivery
Improve resident outcomes
Improve internal government operations
Critical success factors:
Dedicated funding
Focus on measurement
Support from outside city administration
Philadelphia
United States
Mayor
Jim Kenney
Population
1,580,000 (2017)
Innovation Website
Lead Innovation Officers
Anjali Chainani, Andrew Buss
Spotlight on innovation in Philadelphia
GovLabPHL, an innovative initiative stationed within the Mayor's Office, is a multi-agency team centered on embedding evidence-based and data-driven methods into City programs and services through cross-sector collaboration. It is currently one of two municipal-based policy labs in the country, and it is the only policy lab in the country that operates using a partnership model, with little to no routine funding. Over the past 3 years, GovLabPHL has hosted 3 annual conferences on behavioral economics; has piloted over 12 randomized control trial projects within city government; hosted a 10-month speaker series on human-centered design in partnership with the Office of Open Data and Digital Transformation; and organizes a data-driven book club for city employees.
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, Philadelphia has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Philadelphia approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.
Policy areas that Philadelphia is focused on
Policy areas by number of cities
Philadelphia utilizes 6 different innovation skills or roles
Innovation roles by number of cities
Philadelphia has four teams for innovation with 30 staff. The Office of Innovation Management oversees the City's innovation efforts. Specific evidence-based methods are led by GovLabPHL at the Mayor’s Office. The Department of Revenue has also been experimenting with evidence-based methods to test and improve access to tax assistance programs. The Office of Open Data and Digital Transformation helps departments publish open data.
Terms Philadelphia most associates with innovation
Philadelphia'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, Philadelphia 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
Philadelphia also invests in digital systems and physical infrastructure.
How is innovation measured?
Philadelphia has developed partnerships to promote its innovation capacity with other public agencies, private firms, not-for-profit organizations, and city residents/resident associations. In particular, Philadelphia, through over 20 external research partnerships, has created numerous learning opportunities. In addition, the Office of Innovation Management, in partnership with Jefferson University, launched the Municipal Innovation Academy, an eight-week intensive program offered to City employees.
To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with the private sector, academia, think tanks, and private philanthropy to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.