Client: Bloomberg Philanthropies | Year: 2021
Context
FutureGov partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2021 Global Mayor's Challenge to support municipalities across the globe in addressing challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative aimed to empower city teams worldwide, helping them tackle issues in public health, social equity, and economic recovery through a human-centered lens. As an International Innovation and Design Coach, I played a critical role in guiding these efforts by facilitating workshops that enabled cities to redefine their challenges and develop innovative, scalable recovery strategies.
FutureGov partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2021 Global Mayor's Challenge to support municipalities across the globe in addressing challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative aimed to empower city teams worldwide, helping them tackle issues in public health, social equity, and economic recovery through a human-centered lens. As an International Innovation and Design Coach, I played a critical role in guiding these efforts by facilitating workshops that enabled cities to redefine their challenges and develop innovative, scalable recovery strategies.
Goals
The ultimate goal was to help cities rethink their challenges through a human-centered design perspective. This involved equipping municipal teams with innovative tools and methodologies, leveraging pandemic insights to uncover systemic opportunities for transformation, and fostering collaboration to create recovery strategies that were both locally relevant and globally adaptable.
The ultimate goal was to help cities rethink their challenges through a human-centered design perspective. This involved equipping municipal teams with innovative tools and methodologies, leveraging pandemic insights to uncover systemic opportunities for transformation, and fostering collaboration to create recovery strategies that were both locally relevant and globally adaptable.
Methods
I facilitated remote innovation workshops for over 10 cities across Europe, Africa, and North America, conducted in both English and French to accommodate the linguistic and cultural diversity of the participants. These workshops, rooted in human-centered design principles, guided participants to redefine their challenges and co-create solutions. Each session was tailored to reflect the unique contexts of the cities involved, ensuring relevance and alignment with local realities. By fostering collaborative problem-solving, the sessions brought together municipal leaders, community stakeholders, and subject matter experts, creating a shared sense of ownership and engagement with the recovery strategies.
I facilitated remote innovation workshops for over 10 cities across Europe, Africa, and North America, conducted in both English and French to accommodate the linguistic and cultural diversity of the participants. These workshops, rooted in human-centered design principles, guided participants to redefine their challenges and co-create solutions. Each session was tailored to reflect the unique contexts of the cities involved, ensuring relevance and alignment with local realities. By fostering collaborative problem-solving, the sessions brought together municipal leaders, community stakeholders, and subject matter experts, creating a shared sense of ownership and engagement with the recovery strategies.
Outcome
The workshops empowered over 10 cities to develop innovative recovery strategies, including one city that successfully advanced to the next stage of the competitive Global Mayor's Challenge. Participants redefined their challenges from a human-centered perspective, uncovering actionable and impactful solutions aligned with their communities’ needs. The initiative also enhanced the capacity of municipal teams to tackle complex issues collaboratively, equipping them with practical tools and frameworks for innovation. By integrating pandemic insights with innovative thinking, this effort positioned the cities to recover more effectively and build resilience for the future.
The workshops empowered over 10 cities to develop innovative recovery strategies, including one city that successfully advanced to the next stage of the competitive Global Mayor's Challenge. Participants redefined their challenges from a human-centered perspective, uncovering actionable and impactful solutions aligned with their communities’ needs. The initiative also enhanced the capacity of municipal teams to tackle complex issues collaboratively, equipping them with practical tools and frameworks for innovation. By integrating pandemic insights with innovative thinking, this effort positioned the cities to recover more effectively and build resilience for the future.
