Latest Reports
African Cities Innovation Analysis
Innovation is thriving in Africa, and in particular in the hotspots of East Africa and South Africa. Despite challenges across infrastructure, talent capacity, and geopolitical considerations, Africa is truly ‘leapfrogging’ the traditional routes to urbanisation and embracing challenge-led innovation. The explosion of pan-African innovation hubs, localised and grassroots applications of technology and digital services, and the exponential increase of foreign investment are all converging to create several of the largest and most exciting innovation markets in the world.
The report covers three key elements of the initial scoping exercise:
1. A city typology analysis of 14 cities across the continent of Africa;
2. Case studies from Gauteng Province, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and
3. Recommendations for routes to market and engagement in African cities.
This report is not an in-depth analysis of the pan-African city innovation market. The report provides some initial data on a set of select cities across Africa. These chosen cities are meant to provide a cross sectional view of the business and innovation environment of African cities. The full report can be found here.
Sharjah’s Innovation Economy
In hundreds of cities around the world buildings and districts are being designated future centres of innovation. Many of these locations thrive but many also fail to fulfil their promises. Why does innovation flourish in some places but fizzle out in others? Sharjah’s Innovation Economy report constructs a ‘scaffolding’ of understanding around the SRTI Park as an innovation location and testbed to build a broader understanding of the drivers enabling Sharjah to host an innovation economy. Download the report here.
UN Global Happiness Policy Report 2019
This year, The Global Happiness Policy Report, launched at the 2019 World Government Summit in Dubai, provides in-depth and practical examples of successfull happiness and wellness initiatives from around the world. In Chapter 7, The Happy Cities Agenda, the report considers technology as an enabler of action rather than a central focus of work. This chapter emphasises some foundational concepts, such as the notion of a smart city to be one that is ‘socially smart’, where the focus is on maintaining efficiency and sustainability in achieving happiness. This chapter elaborates two sets of themes, presented in the form of a practical tool for city makers. The first set of themes looks at how happiness is associated with the design of a city – in terms of the physical, processes, and flow that form the more tangible fabric of the city. The second set lays out the enablers of happiness in the city, that are often associated with the outcomes of actions and policies.
UN Global Happiness Policy Report 2018
At the World Government Summit 2018, the first ever Global Happiness Policy Report was launched, which acts as a companion piece to the UN’s annual World Happiness Report. The Policy Report ‘helps to fill the gap on how to help countries in well-being with the science of happiness and policy applications.’
Dr Hochadel and Future Cities Catapult contributed to Chapter 7: Happy Cities in a Smart World. We provided global best practice and recommendations to cities on how to meet the challenges of the future, with a focus on happiness and well-being in the urban space. In short – how cities can become more human in serving the growing population of urban residents with innovation and technology; either through solving mysteries, providing individual solutions or increasing safety and security.
The chapter provides best practice examples and recommendations in several key categories: economy, people, governance, mobility, environment and living.