Great Cities Report calls on Calgary to be more innovative
Posted Dec 10, 2014 11:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new report says Calgary needs to be more innovative if we want to keep up with our own growth and other players around the world.
The Great Cities Report examined social outcomes in other cities, how they financially plan, implement technology, and work with other municipalities.
Justin Smith, Calgary Chamber of Commerce, says our city has made baby steps in collaborating with other metropolises, but it’s time we capture all the economic benefits we can gain from those relationships.
“We can’t be so insular, we can’t be so myopic. We need to see if we can figure out a way to introduce some innovative practices that we may not be used to, or that may not be common in Alberta, but are certainly proving to show positive results elsewhere,” he said.
One of the cities the report suggests Calgary should be looking towards is London, England: it is anticipating savings of 33 million pounds by working with neighboring municipalities to deliver services more efficiently.
Smith says on the technology side, Calgary has made some ad hoc investments in things like ParkPlus and 311, but City Hall needs a more comprehensive digital plan on how they will deliver these services.
