How Cities Can Crowdsource Solutions

Why It Matters

As cities face increasingly complex problems, open innovation challenges offer a scalable way to crowdsource diverse, implementable solutions and strengthen public–private–community partnerships. Adopting these approaches can accelerate problem-solving, reduce reliance on internal capacity, and unlock novel ideas that improve municipal outcomes.

Summary

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation convened 120 city innovation directors at the City Innovation Studio to showcase open innovation challenges as a practical municipal tool. The program emphasizes structured problem definition, resident engagement, and cross-sector collaboration to generate fresh solutions for complex urban issues. Open challenges train residents, entrepreneurs and academics to co-own civic problems while signaling to governments the value of risk-taking and broader solution sourcing. The center argues that effective public innovation often requires looking beyond traditional city-hall channels to find new, implementable ideas.

Original Description

Solutions can come from unexpected places.

Francisca Rojas, Executive Director at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, shares how the organization works with city halls around the world to strengthen their problem-solving capacity—helping uncover actionable ideas from an often-overlooked source: residents, scholars, and entrepreneurs.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies:

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.7 billion.

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How Cities Can Crowdsource Solutions

https://youtube.com/shorts/jA6KkymghfQ