The Center for Urban Innovation was established in 2006 as the focal point for research on urban affairs in the School of Public Affairs and the College of Public Programs.  The mission of the Center is to improve the quality of urban life in neighborhoods, cities, and urban regions by promoting innovation in governance, policy, and management.  The Center contributes to the goal of “advancing urban governance in a global context” in the School of Public Affairs.  Its research and outreach are both local and global.  The philosophy of the Center is fully consistent with the commitment of the College of Public Programs to be a “rigorous, research-intensive crucible for social and economic advancement."

 

 

 

 

 

 

James H. Svara

Professor of Public Affairs &

Director, Center for Urban Innovation

The objectives of the Center are to:

•    Conduct basic and applied research on innovation in local governance, public policy, and management and creatively disseminate results to academic and practitioner audiences

•    Identify innovative practices and ideas in the United States and other countries and encourage their diffusion to other local governments

•    Promote active intellectual exchange and networking through linkages with scholars in the United States and abroad

•    Host national and international visitors interested in learning about innovation in local government

•    Develop seminars, workshops, and policy forums for public officials, citizen leaders, and scholars that address issues of innovative urban governance, policy and management

•    Initiate and manage activities associated with ASU’s partnership with the International City & County Management Association in the Alliance for Innovation. 
Click here for information about the Alliance.

The commitment to advance innovation encompasses a wide range of topics related to governance.  Leadership, democracy and the reform of governance through new structures and processes are central concerns.  A unifying theme is examining ways that governments, nonprofits, businesses, and citizens from the neighborhood to the regional level come together to establish goals, mobilize resources to meet them, and carry out public policies and deliver services effectively and efficiently.  The center will examine questions such as these.  What are the major forces—technological, demographic, social and economic—that drive change in local government, and how do public organizations deal with and proactively anticipate change?   How can public organizations do their work differently to achieve more positive results and make better use of resources, and how can good ideas in one city, county, or region be spread to others?  What is the process of change within public organizations, and what are the characteristics of those organizations that sustain high levels of innovation?  What are the personal aspects of creativity, problem solving and receptiveness to change?  Finally, what are the ethical considerations associated with innovation—how is change an ethical responsibility and how do ethics guide the way that innovation is carried out? 

I would like to invite your participation in pursuing the ambitious research goals of the Center, and I welcome your suggestions for projects that might enhance the research agenda of the Center and improve its outreach to the community.

James H. Svara
Professor of Public Affairs and
Director, Center for Urban Innovation

(602) 496-0448 
james.svara@asu.edu