Role 2. Chief Innovation Officer for the City

As the city’s chief innovation officer, you want to make sure the city is seen as a hub of innovation and are concerned primarily with generating economic growth and expanding the knowledge-based economy, which includes data-based technologies and services. For example, you are expected to identify new job opportunities and losses for those impacted by self-driving buses. Likewise, you are aware that the city’s leadership thinks introducing self-driving buses into the downtown area is valuable for the city for a variety of reasons. The leadership suggests it will (1) strengthen the city’s identity as a future-looking hub of innovation, thus attracting additional economic investment from entrepreneurs, (2) support the city’s comprehensive plan to develop and maintain strong multi-modal connections, which may help reduce parking challenges and enable residents to choose the mode of transportation most appropriate for each specific trip (drive to work, walk to the grocery store, bus to the city park, etc.), and (3) achieve regional transportation related greenhouse gas reduction targets and improve air quality if the city chooses an electric vehicle fleet.

As the city’s chief innovation officer, your main points of prioritization include:

  • Encouraging the development and use of new technology in the city
  • Emphasizing the importance of increasing the availability of knowledge-based jobs
  • Explaining the importance of incorporating state-of-the-art technology into the city’s infrastructure and thus planning for the future
  • Demonstrating the link between incorporating new transportation technology and future investment in the city (e.g., companies will be more likely to build headquarters in cities with robust and modern public transit systems)

 

Supplemental Readings