co-creation
@CityLab Detroit
City Possible brings together cities and a united private sector to co-create solutions to the most pressing urban challenges.
We asked city innovators and industry leaders at CityLab
to share major challenges facing their cities, and innovative ideas to help solve them. See what the community shared below.
Common Themes
Several key, recurring themes surfaced in the opinions, ideas and challenges shared by city innovators at CityLab, that will help shape how our cities will evolve in the future.
Challenges and Ideas
City innovators shared challenges and ideas spanning a wide breadth of categories critical to cities. Which of these categories are most important to you? What ideas might work in your city?
click to View each category and % of submission
SEE IDEAS
Housing
20%
Infrastructure
18%
Mobility
10%
SEE CHALLENGES
SEE IDEAS
EDUCATION
Infrastructure
Mobility
INCLUSION
Learn how City Possible brings together cities and a united private sector to create more inclusive and sustainable cities.
LEARN MORE
NEW YORK
Some older residents of the city would like to get involved with volunteer work. Would be nice to get a listing of legit organizations that they could apply to.
MOBILITY
INCLUSION
EMPLOYMENT
POLICY
HOUSING
How can cities use new
digital solutions to improve infrastructure efficiency, accessibility and convenience?
MOBILITY
Inclusion
How can cities use technology to integrate those on the margins — immigrants, the elderly and the underserved — so these residents can benefit from a more inclusive city landscape?
employment
How can cities leverage education and training platforms to nurture an ecosystem of artisans, craftsmen, small business owners and professionals?
POLICY
How can cities become more data-driven so they can better respond to the needs of
their citizens?
HOUSING
How should cities balance the need for affordable housing with incumbent neighborhood resistance to urban development?
Education
Infrastructure
Other
20%
Technology
6%
Safety + Security
6%
Health
6%
Inclusion
8%
Education
8%
Mobility
DETROIT
Decades-old divisions between the city and surrounding suburbs are impeding progress on regional issues like expanding transit access.
tel aviv
Cities need to be more data driven about
the needs of
their communities
london
London is facing a huge challenge around affordable housing for young people, and people ending up renting smaller and smaller spaces
scottsdale
Engaging citizens in informed and meaningful discussions around important challenges facing our community.
Brags, Portugal
Creating a Social Immovation Hub to foster emtrepemeurship and to strengthen
the financing of
the private sector
miami
Unwillingness to meaningfully address climate change
san francisco
Access/Utilize 3rd
party data streams in ways that are clearly benificial to "ordinary" city residents
Mobility
22%
Inclusion
22%
Other
27%
Health
9%
Data
9%
Economy
9%
SEE CHALLENGES
Challenges
Develop specialized charter
or magnets schools or programs to offer more educational options within Stamford and attract students and revenue from neighboring towns
Daryl, Stamford
Ideas
To create a learning journey
for Detroit public high school students to learn about
and meet small businesses
and entrepreneurs in their neighborhoods.
Jeanette, Detroit
Inclusion
Employment
Environment
Health
Housing
EMPLOYMENT
Environment
Health
Housing
Challenges
Ideas
Providing an adequate and impactful education system
for all Detroit youth
David, Detroit
Education education education. Good, quality, equitable education. For. All.
Kuhu, Detroit
Pedestrian walkability is an issue in the residential areas of Bowie. Car access is needed to travel even short distances. For those that don't have a car and are going to a place off of a standard bus route, they often have to walk along busy roads and in areas with low visibility during the evening hours.
Dana, Bowie
Folks in my city face
a widening gap in access
to opportunities, education,
and clean affordable water.
Cade, Flint
Our city is experiencing huge growth but while private development feeds housing needs, public infrastructure like transit, education, and healthcare need support to keep pace.
Miguel, Brooklyn
I would like to see MC address the opportunities of installing micro grids for key infrastructure, esp in vulnerable communities because of aging infrastructure.
Kimberly, Detroit
Aspen, a small mountain town very concerned with climate change, is challenged to become car-free. More complex than one might think, how we use bikes, affordable mass transit ,
and pedestrian thoroughfares
is a hope for summer 2019:
a mobility lab
Kitty, Aspen
The number of options for getting around the city -- subway, buses, cabs, bikes, etc -- has increased dramatically. However, they seem to all run somewhat separately. Getting around the city is challenging for tourists, especially during rush hours.
Michael, Harrison
How to reduce street traffic
and manage the flow of pedestrian and scooter traffic
Noah, Ann Arbor
Using the principle that every child should have a safe journey to school cities can make roads safe by Implementing vision zero for youth through known, impactful and cost effective infrastructure improvements
Kate, London
Develop specialized charter
or magnets schools or programs to offer more educational options within Stamford and attract students and revenue from neighboring towns
Daryl, Stamford
Providing an adequate and impactful education system
for all Detroit youth
David, Detroit
Education education education. Good, quality, equitable education. For. All.
Kuhu, Detroit
We can use transaction data and location data, tied to city IDs, to help facilitate payment disbursement to underserved segments of society, to help them avoid unnecessary costs and inconveniences.
Michael, Harrison
A large number of residents commute to New York City for work, how do we attract/develop more local jobs to keep more business within the city?
Daryl, Stamford
Not enough resources for formerly incarcerated women: housing, jobs, education and basic support. We are taking an innovative approach to create jobs in Detroit by using a common women's accessory - a handbag!
Michelle, Detroit
Detroit needs more trained craftsmen to do the rehabilitation work in the commercial areas
and residential neighborhoods. The artisans are retiring or dying without having the opportunity
or time to train others in preservation skills.
Nancy, Detroit
Big industrial sites on prime real estate (waterfront) that are Superfund designated AND former DoD property have repeatedly been unable to secure investment to redevelop.
Roger, Stratford
Unwillingness to meaningfully address climate change.
Chris, Miami
Tackling food waste
in corporations by supply
chain management
Tom, London
End sexual assault in the city
by changing the attitude around survivors and create a space
for survivors and families
to be safe when they are leaving
a bad situation
Madison, Detroit
Access to affordable
health care services.
Paul, Detroit
A lack of grocery stores and fresh food options. In every neighborhood you can find a liquor store yet you'll have to travel miles to buy an apple. To grow and sustain a productive city residents need to be able to fuel their brain, not their liver.
Chinonye, Detroit
Build intergenerational cross fit parks where children and older adults can excercise and interact outside to breakdown isolation.
Daryl, Stamford
Housing is too expensive
and middle income families
and low income families
don't have options.
Myung, New York
Affordable single family housing.
Elise, Ann Arbor
The cost of living in the city increasing faster than wages.
Bridget, Philadelphia
“I believe we should develop specialized charter or magnets schools or programs to offer more educational options that attract students and revenue from neighboring towns.”
Daryl, Stamford
Challenges
Ideas
Challenges
Ideas
Challenges
Ideas
Challenges
Ideas
Challenges
Ideas
Challenges
Ideas
London is facing a huge challenge around affordable housing
for young people, and people ending up renting smaller
and smaller spaces
Max, Burlington
Increasing density
and affordability with
nimbyism as a common neighborhood response.
Bridget, Boston
Housing affordability
in the face of NIMBYism.
Jonathan, Ann Arbor
Lack of recreational opportunities for various age groups.
Arnessa, Los Angeles
Food insecurity: there is plenty
of good, healthy food in our community but there are real challenges around logistics.
Grace, Louisville
Underinvestment in public infrastructure and lack of political and social will to make investments necessary for future growth and resilience of cities. Dollars spent on infrastructure improvements today will be cost and lives saved later.
Jesse, Houston
Build public Play spaces for teens, adults, and seniors; even on a small scale redesigning streetscape infrastructure (benches, bike stops, ramps, etc) to allow for physical interaction and #guerrillaplay.
Caitlin, Seattle
Mobility as a service: App Anda for Porto Public Transport (metro, bus, train) - at the end of the month you receive an integrated bill (intermodal) with the lowest fare possible. You don't need to worry about types of ticketing!
Felipe, Porto
DETROIT
There are 28 million U.S. small businesses of which 46% have no website. Crushing the digital divide is critical for cities. www.rebrand.city
DETROIT
Shared co-op and manufacturing for similar business to promote efficiency in scale and resource allocation.
Modern city innovators work within and across cities to glean best practices and share
solutions. What can city innovators around the world learn from each other?
DETROIT
To create a learning journey for Detroit public high school students to learn about and meet small businesses and entrepreneurs in their neighborhoods.
DETROIT
Detroit needs more
trained craftsmen to do the rehabilitation work in the commercial areas and residential neighborhoods. The artisans are retiring or dying without having the opportunity or time to train others in preservation skills
DETROIT
Build intergenerational cross fit parks where children and older adults can excercise and interact outside to breakdown isolation.
DETROIT
Build intergenerational cross fit parks where children and older adults can excercise and interact outside to breakdown isolation.
DETROIT
Providing an adequate and impactful education system for all Detroit youth
DETROIT
Education education education. Good, quality, equitable education. For. All.
DETROIT
Not enough resources for formerly incarcerated women: housing, jobs, education and basic support. We are taking an innovative approach to create jobs in Detroit by using a common women's accessory - a handbag!
DETROIT
A lack of grocery stores and fresh food options. In every neighborhood you can find a liquor store yet you'll have to travel miles to buy an apple. To grow and sustain a productive city residents need to be able to fuel their brain, not their liver.
DETROIT
Access to affordable health care services.
DETROIT
End sexual assault in the city by changing the attitude around survivors and create a space for survivors and families to be safe when they are leaving a bad situation
Flint
Folks in my city face a widening gap in access to opportunities, education, and clean affordable water.
ann arbor
Affordable single
family housing
ann arbor
Housing affordability in
the face of NIMBYism
ann arbor
How to reduce street traffic and manage the flow of pedestrian and scooter traffic
BROOKLYN
Our city is experiencing huge growth but while private development feeds housing needs, public infrastructure like transit, education, and healthcare need support to keep pace.
East Rutherford
It would be great to see how data could be used by cities and others to demonstrate effective ways for investments in infrastructure and new Opportunity Zones in a way that is inclusive.
harrison
The number of options for getting around the city– subway, buses, cabs, bikes, etc –has increased dramatically. However, they seem to all run somewhat separately. Getting around the city is challenging for tourists, especially during rush hours.
harrison
We can use transaction data and location data, tied to city IDs, to help facilitate payment disbursement to underserved segments of society, to help them avoid unnecessary costs and inconveniences.
NEW YORK
Housing is too expensive and middle income families and low income families don't have options.
NEW YORK
Change corporate subsidies so that they are holistic and include long term support and training for new jobs and occupations
STAMFORD
Develop specialized charter or magnets schools or programs to offer more educational options within Stamford and attract students and revenue from neighboring towns
STAMFORD
A large number of residents commute to New York City for work, how do we attract/develop more local jobs to keep more business within the city?
STratford, ct
Big industrial sites on prime real estate (waterfront) that are Superfund designated AND former DoD property have repeatedly been unable to secure investment to redevelop.
PORTO, Portugal
Mobility as a service: App Anda for Porto Public Transport (metro, bus, train) - at the end of the month you receive an integrated bill (intermodal) with the lowest fare possible. You don't need to worry about types of ticketing!
london
Using the principle that every child should have a safe journey to school cities can make roads safe by Implementing vision zero for youth through known, impactful and cost effective infrastructure improvements
london
Tackling food waste in corporations by supply chain management
STOCKHOLM
Forming a database to share solutions to urbanization, globalization and climate issues in order to sustain society for the long haul - so cities don't repeat other city's mistakes.
seattle
Build public Play spaces for teens, adults, and seniors; even on a small scale redesigning streetscape infrastructure (benches, bike stops, ramps, etc) to allow for physical interaction and #guerrillaplay
st louis, Mo
Reducing gun violence
louisville, ky
Food insecurity: there is plenty of good, healthy food in our community but there are real challenges around logistics.
los angeles
Lack of recreational opportunities for various age groups
houston
Underinvestment in public infrastructure and lack of political and social will to make investments necessary for future growth and resilience of cities. Dollars spent on infrastructure improvements today will be cost and lives saved later.
boulder
Ensuring the city's
decision-making process
is transparent, inclusive,
and consistent.
boston
Increasing density and affordability with nimbyism as a common neighborhood response.
Bengaluru
Migrant workers who come for construction and other work to the city. Their entire family and financial support system is in villages many train rides away. How do we create a platform to integrate them into the city social fabric?
aspen
Aspen, a small mountain town very concerned with climate change, is challenged to become car-free. More complex than one might think, how we use bikes, affordable mass transit , and pedestrian thoroughfares is a hope for summer 2019: a mobility lab
Albuquerque
Highest violent crime in country per capital
Philiadelphia
The cost of living in the city increasing faster than wages
bowie
Pedestrian walkability is an
issue in the residential areas of Bowie. Car access is needed to travel even short distances. For those that don't have a car and are going to a place off of a standard bus route, they often have to walk along busy roads and in areas with low visibility during the evening hours.
Washington, DC
Utilizing excess metro footprint to allow for delivery pickup and services. Eg have a locker where groceries can be delivered ideally by a local business and that the user accessed via code or ID
Washington, DC
Create knowledge sharing and education platforms to help marginalized communities integrate faster into rapidly changing job markets and create a more inclusive city landscape.
