Innovation in Urban Development

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸. Japan has experimented with floor tiles that generate electricity from people's footsteps. The amount of energy each step produces is tiny, which means this isn't going to replace the power grid. But I don't think the electricity is the interesting part. Every day, thousands of people walk through the same station. Most of us see a crowd moving from one platform to another. Someone else looked at those same footsteps and saw energy that had been ignored all along. That is a very different way of thinking. We often assume innovation begins by building something bigger. And yet many breakthroughs begin by asking a much simpler question. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲? The same principle applies far beyond energy. The strongest organizations don't always win because they have more resources. Quite often, they win because they redesign existing systems to recover value that everyone else has accepted as waste. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. What is one process in your organization that everyone takes for granted, but might actually be hiding untapped value? #OrchestrationDesign #SystemsThinking #SustainableInnovation #AIReadiness

Most people see dinosaurs. I see AI, robotics, and materials science leaving the lab and entering the city. Kaohsiung’s “Dinosaur Cool Park,” launched for Children’s Day, is going viral. But not for the reason you think. 🦖 Those T-Rexes aren’t just props. They’re real-time interactive machines. What’s inside: • Silicone + rubber composite skin → engineered to deform like biological tissue • High-precision actuators → enabling micro-expressions, not just movement • Sensor arrays → detecting proximity, motion, and behavior • Embedded control systems → triggering adaptive responses in real time This is robotics disguised as entertainment. Here’s where AI enters: Today: • Rule-based behavior + sensor triggers • Pre-programmed interaction loops Tomorrow (very close): • On-device AI models interpreting human behavior • Dynamic response generation (no fixed scripts) • Crowd-level learning → optimizing engagement in real time From animatronics → autonomous interactive agents Why this matters: We’re watching a shift from: Static infrastructure → Intelligent environments Public space is becoming: • Responsive • Data-driven • Continuously optimized The bigger play: Cities are becoming deployment platforms for AI in the physical world. Not dashboards. Not simulations. Embodied AI interacting with humans at scale. The takeaway: If your AI strategy lives only in the cloud, you’re missing the next wave. The real disruption is where: AI + robotics + materials = physical experiences people can feel Kaohsiung just turned a city park into a preview of that future. #AI #Robotics #SmartCities #DeepTech #Innovation #EdgeAI #FutureOfWork

This is a Sponge City! And like a sponge, they’re designed to soak up rainwater, to help prevent flooding, and they create loads of green spaces too! Here’s how they work. Pioneered by landscape architect Kongjian Yu, who sadly died in a plane crash last year, Sponge Cities use a bunch of nature-based solutions to absorb and use rainwater effectively. They use porous pavements that mimic soil by absorbing water and releasing it slowly into the earth. They integrate green rooftops, rain gardens, and enhanced wetlands that not only manage water but also support biodiversity and improve air quality. By slowing down water flow, it becomes easier to capture it and store it for later use. And all the natural features even help to clean the water too, reducing the need for industrial cleaning processes! Sponge Cities have already been adopted by over 264 cities in China, with a goal to make 80% of its urban areas sponge-like by 2030. These types of cities could bring us a step closer to living in harmony with the environment , and they’re a fitting legacy for the visionary who first imagined them. Would you like to live in a sponge city? #goodnews #naturebased

Is sustainability still a core business priority? Absolutely and the data proves it! 💰 Budgets are up. 💡 ROI is measurable. 📈 Value creation is real. What's good for the planet is good for business EcoVadis July 2025: 87% of U.S. companies are increasing or maintaining sustainability budgets, viewing it as a competitive growth driver, even if some are "greenhushing" https://lnkd.in/eP6fF2wR Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) July 2025: Fewer than 2% of organisations cut budgets, while over 40% increased spend, a clear signal of momentum https://lnkd.in/edS4uQVi Morgan Stanley June 2025: 88% of companies see sustainability as a long-term value driver, and 80%+ are tracking measurable ROI - it's no longer just about compliance; it's about profit and resilience. https://lnkd.in/emggb58t Forbes April 2025: Nearly a third of executives rank sustainability first on the C-suite agenda, with 89% planning to increase their sustainability budgets https://lnkd.in/eUNKeyDx PwC March 2025: Products with sustainability attributes drive 6–25%+ more revenue; 37% of companies are ramping up climate ambition https://lnkd.in/ex7XTbSs Deloitte Sept 2024: 85% of organisations increased sustainability investments (up from 75% in 2023), showing deepening C-suite commitment. https://lnkd.in/e35qWg37 The signal is clear: sustainability isn’t just surviving, it’s scaling. But we need to keep focused on execution, impact, and proving the value we know is there. What trends are you seeing? #Sustainability #Leadership #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis

Stop building for only 5 days a month. Big stadiums are often designed around a fatal flaw: a massive sea of parking that wastes space for 320+ days of the year. Take, for example, the host of the World Cup Final, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It is just 10 miles (16 km) from Manhattan. In its current form, over 230 acres of asphalt are dedicated solely to 28,000 parking spaces. We are spending immense public and private resources to create places that remain empty and unproductive for the majority of the year. This isn't an efficient use of land. It’s a waste. And it doesn't solve one of the biggest societal issues we face: the lack of housing. What if we developed the area around the stadium as a dense, transit-oriented, and walkable neighborhood? This is already being done in many European cities. Imagine a vibrant district: 🏠 Home to more than 20,000 people 🏫 Integrated with schools, offices, and restaurants 🌳 Connected to the surrounding natural wetlands with green corridors and parks 🚉 Served by a central transit hub Stadiums should be anchors for year-round life, not black holes in the urban fabric.

NYC is where music tech goes to grow up. For New York Music Month, I mapped 40+ music tech companies that either started, scaled, or planted major operations here. While not exhaustive, the map reveals a compelling mental model of who’s building what, and why it matters. -- The unmistakable pattern: Infrastructure dominates. Very few of the startups on this map are chasing viral moments. Instead, most are doubling down on the unglamorous backbone: 🔧 Distribution (TuneCore, DistroKid, UnitedMasters, Too Lost) 💰 Rights management (Downtown Music, Cosynd, AudioSalad, MusicInfra) 📊 Data intelligence (Chartmetric, RealCount, Sonar) 🎟️ Ticketing & live ops (DICE, Fever, Seated, Sonicbids) Even the "creative tools" and "fandom" categories lean pragmatic — monetizing largely through proven avenues like B2B partnerships, SaaS subscriptions, and direct fan payments, rather than speculative consumer plays. -- Two key advantages position New York as music tech's infrastructure capital: 1️⃣ Proximity to power. Only in NYC can you connect major-label headquarters, institutional banks, and dozens of live music venues with the ease of a 20-minute subway ride. That level of density creates unexpected collisions across entertainment, tech, and finance — Duetti's securitization of indie artist catalogs being a recent standout example. 2️⃣ Capital maturity. Many music tech ventures move or expand to the city to scale beyond seed-stage — hiring CFOs, locking in key enterprise deals, and accessing growth capital from the city's unique cluster of VCs, private equity firms, and strategic corporate investors. -- All in all, this map validates a key thesis of our recent research at Water & Music: "Boring is back." In 2024, the biggest music-tech checks went to the least glamorous problems behind the two core engines of the business: Music rights and live events. This was almost a complete reversal from the COVID-era bets on metaverse shows, blockchain-powered royalties, and avatar superstars. Infrastructure rarely trends on social media, but it determines who gets paid, who scales, and who survives downturns and uncertain times. NYC’s mix of cultural gravity and financial muscle positions it well to own this layer of the stack. -- I'd love to see similar music tech maps for cities like LA, London, Nashville, and Berlin. Each would tell a completely different story about music's future, through a distinctly local lens. Any critical NYC music tech companies I missed? What other patterns do you see? Let me know in the comments! #MusicTech #MusicBusiness #MusicIndustry #NYMusicMonth #NYC

I witnessed an announcement from the University of Birmingham Dubai to launch the first AI PhD programme. This programme is designed to nurture specialised talent in fields such as smart city development, advanced healthcare, sustainability, and future mobility – cornerstones of Dubai's digital transformation. I also reviewed Dubai’s State of AI report, published by Digital Dubai in collaboration with Dubai Future Foundation. The report outlines the crucial role of AI in reshaping government services in Dubai and highlights the progress of AI adoption across various government entities.

A new 20-year analysis of satellite data shows that the Old Continent’s freshwater reserves are shrinking, silently and steadily. Satellites that weigh the Earth by tracking gravitational changes reveal 👉 Northern Europe is getting wetter. 👉 Southern and central Europe are drying fast. And what’s disappearing fastest is the water we don’t see — groundwater, the strategic reserve that keeps our taps running, our crops alive, and our economies functioning. This is #climatechange in real time. No models, no projections — observations from space. Researchers warn that Europe is barreling toward a 2°C world, and the consequences are already here: • Heavier downpours but longer, harsher dry spells • Winter recharge seasons shrinking • More runoff, less infiltration • Deep aquifers declining across the EU • Increasing pressure on public water supply and agriculture Groundwater is the backbone of Europe’s resilience. In 2022 alone: 🔹 62% of all public water supply came from groundwater 🔹 33% of agricultural demand relied on it 🔹 Groundwater abstractions increased by 6% despite lower overall water use Farmers across southern Europe are watching reservoirs drop while fruit and vegetable yields continue to fall. These are the same dynamics long documented across the Global South, now hitting Europe with unprecedented force. The old assumptions no longer hold. Europe is not water-secure. Infrastructure alone will not save us. New reservoirs arriving in 20 years are not a solution for a crisis happening today. We need: ✅ Radical efficiency — cutting leakage, modernising networks, accelerating water-smart design ✅ Water reuse at scale — separating drinking water systems from non-potable recycled streams ✅ Nature-based solutions — restoring wetlands, aquifers, and natural recharge ✅ Smarter climate-informed water governance — using the best science to guide every decision ✅ A mindset shift — rainwater harvesting, circular water systems, and demand-side management must become standard, not exceptional read the article in The Guardian 👇 https://lnkd.in/eeTsyMve

Economic geography almost never aligns with administrative boundaries. Councils, states and even national borders are useful governance constructs, but economies don't operate neatly within them. The OECD uses the concept of Functional Regions, defined by economic linkages such as commuting patterns, labour markets, supply chains and industry connections. Examples are everywhere. Greater Melbourne functions as a single labour market incorporating more than 30 local government areas. Albury–Wodonga is one economy split across two states. The Productivity Commission identifies 89 functional economic regions in Australia. None align with council or state boundaries. There are some big implications of this for economic development: 1. Strategies that assume local economies are closed systems don't align with how economic activity actually works. Economic activity routinely crosses boundaries, regardless of policy design. 2. Strong outcomes come from playing to comparative strengths within the functional region. Access to high-quality jobs across the region matters more than their precise location. 3. Assets outside formal boundaries still shape local prosperity. Universities, ports, hospitals, airports and major employers influence outcomes far beyond the jurisdictions they're located in. 4. Collaboration is not optional. Functional economies require coordination across councils, agencies and sometimes states. In Australia, this logic sits behind regional economic development strategies and bodies such as Regional Development Australia committees. Trust and partnership-building are core economic development capabilities. 5. Economic development is not a junior function. Working across functional regions requires senior-level leadership with the authority to coordinate across portfolios, organisations and jurisdictions. The mismatch between economic reality and administrative geography is structural. Economic development that ignores it tends to produce weak strategy and poor outcomes.

🚀 Now publicly available 🚀 The Data Innovation Toolkit! And Repository! (✍️ coauthored with Maria Claudia Bodino, Nathan da Silva Carvalho, Marcelo Cogo, and Arianna Dafne Fini Storchi, and commissioned by the Digital Innovation Lab (iLab) of DG DIGIT at the European Commission) 👉 Despite the growing awareness about the value of data to address societal issues, the excitement around AI, and the potential for transformative insights, many organizations struggle to translate data into actionable strategies and meaningful innovations. 🔹 How can those working in the public interest better leverage data for the public good? 🔹 What practical resources can help navigate data innovation challenges? To bridge these gaps, we developed a practical and easy-to-use toolkit designed to support decision makers and public leaders managing data-driven initiatives. 🛠️ What’s inside the first version of the Digital Innovation Toolkit (105 pages)? 👉A repository of educational materials and best practices from the public sector, academia, NGOs, and think tanks. 👉 Practical resources to enhance data innovation efforts, including: ✅Checklists to ensure key aspects of data initiatives are properly assessed. ✅Interactive exercises to engage teams and build essential data skills. ✅Canvas models for structured planning and brainstorming. ✅Workshop templates to facilitate collaboration, ideation, and problem-solving. 🔍 How was the toolkit developed? 📚 Repository: Curated literature review and a user-friendly interface for easy access. 🎤 Interviews & Workshops: Direct engagement with public sector professionals to refine relevance. 🚀 Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Iterative development of an initial set of tools. 🧪 Usability Tests & Pilots: Ensuring functionality and user-friendliness. This is just the beginning! We’re excited to continue refining and expanding this toolkit to support data innovation across public administrations. 🔗 Check it out and let us know your thoughts: 💻 Data Innovation Toolkit: https://lnkd.in/e68kqmZn 💻 Data Innovation Repository: https://lnkd.in/eU-vZqdC #DataInnovation #PublicSector #DigitalTransformation #OpenData #AIforGood #GovTech #DataForPublicGood