The Temptation of a Smart City - The Ottawa Way

Two weeks ago, I started looking at the possibility of Ottawa as a “Smart City”. After all, if the City of Ottawa thinks we can be, why can’t we as citizens be empowered to the enjoy the benefits of it ? Since I engaged social media on my passion for why a smart city is community building, I have been inspired by the proactive outreach to collaborate. I also enjoyed the comment, “great insight, David, especially from the baseball guy”.

But, we are into this idea and we want to really understand it.

The temptation is to immediately point to a best practice and say, “Ottawa needs that". That makes sense - a smart city is about more efficient, relevant and meaningful government services through data that improves our lives. We want to be inspired by trendy technology where we feel we live in an innovative and….smart society. But before we get tempted by fancy apps and drive demand, there has to be focus that is driven by an understanding of what we believe are the essential elements of a smart city. This is the time for vision and leadership that is based on a core philosophy - a smart city is city building.

There are gaps to prepare for a smart city as government should not do it alone - namely leadership and vision from the community to justify resources. A way forward will foster collaboration and partnerships with sector leaders in arts & culture, social services, sports, education, business, charities and community groups to design a culture that will inspire innovation and build on established progress in key areas. This vision is a continuum of technological advancement and physical infrastructure that improves our lifestyles, attracts talent, investment and transforms Ottawa into a smart city to achieve community development.

What is the way forward ? The City’s current smart city scope is very broad and a new working group will advise on achievable outcomes over the long-term. This is a process that will benefit from us engaging and demonstrate passion for the possible opportunities. We should also seek short-term wins that build a narrative on smart city progress. In Ottawa, we can be trailblazers with our own set of initiatives, process and approach.

An Ottawa Way is a path forward to mobilize the passion and energy we have for our community.