DETROIT ? The Detroit Symphony Orchestra hosted a different style of meeting at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on April 21 as it continues to support the community beyond just symphony.
Assemble hosted the event in this gorgeous space with its second in a series designed to connect proven problem solvers with the Detroit community. Nigel Jacob from the Mayor?s Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston joined as the keynote to share his experiences with technology innovation in hopes to help Detroit build a sustainable future. Following his keynote was a panel of many of Detroit?s own innovative thinkers in the technology industry.
The considerations for civic innovation with technology include targeting the right audience for the need, understanding that each method of communication may not be preferred or accessible by some citizens. It is also important that data is collected or even volunteered from many people and places in the city to offer clues on where to best respond and change.
The Assemble Series is driven by a group of passionate Detroiters that supported the bid for the X-Games and wanted to hold a series to help Assemble the people of Detroit from all backgrounds to think about new ways to improve the city. The event also provided networking with people interested in the topic, and attracted many new faces then one finds in a typical Detroit technology audience.
Kevin Krease Co-Founder of Assemble, says the entire series is ?to understand what Detroit is about. Hoping to connect the dots between the good efforts across private and public entities for the greater good of the City.?
Throughout the keynote from Jacob, it was clear that technology and the support from public sector levels have elevated the game for Boston. He provided ways that this technology innovation was tied to civil innovation in the public sector.
?Innovation requires risk and the government has traditionally had no tolerance for risk. That means that the innovators and public entities must collaborate in different ways to make things happen,? said Nigel.
In Boston, the City Hall went mobile with a food cart style approach to city services to provide citizen interaction in more locations. A bus tracker application could better inform parents on the status of a bus pickup. An array of smart phone applications can help communicate to citizens, workers, or even route people to the right resources.
After his examples of success stories that can be carried into the city and a review of some methods to help this process, he joined the panel for more discussion on this topic.
The panel members each had their own way they are innovating and leading technology innovation in Detroit. They discussed what is next for Detroit beyond the Automobile while also sharing their experiences.
More information on this series is available here on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Click on DSO.Org
Associate Editor Nicole Johnson leads MITechNews.Com?s efforts to foster STEM education, as well as provides coverage for her fellow women in computing. If you have a story idea for Nicole, email [email protected]
