USING COnnectivity for SUSTAINABILITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN MEGA-CITIES

In Collaboration with Ericsson 

 

BACKGROUND

Mega-cities around the world have limited resources to create smart consumption and distribution at both the individual and community levels. These large infrastructures also demand an efficient mode of public safety that is manageable by local administrations. 


But amid these immense challenges, there are growing opportunities to seek solutions. People are using more connected devices, and hence, electronic manufacturers are adding mobile connectivity to devices such as cameras, washing machines, thermostats, TVs and navigation systems. We are headed towards a hyper-connected society. ChangeLabs worked with Ericsson Research, a department inside Ericsson, and used innovation methodologies with the goal of empowering people and businesses, taking into account this reality. 


Intent 

The possibility of having a connected society creates tremendous potential to create disruptive solutions for sustainability and public safety. For example, at the broader community and administration level, this connectivity can enable a city to distribute its energy load more efficiently based on consumption demands. At an individual level, connectivity can reduce the gap between individuals and governments, and promote positive behavior change to improve a city's sustainability and public safety.


Impact Objective

The project focused on designing a smart ecosystem for large-scale communities, such as local governments and commercial operators in mega-cities. In addition, the project's focus was also to create extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for individuals to participate in the sustainability and safety of their own neighborhoods.


Approach 

A team was tasked with creating the concepts, strategies, business models and tangible innovations to leverage connectivity and address problems in mega-cities. The team focused on designing concepts while considering multiple stakeholders, including governments, device manufacturers, and law enforcement agencies. 


The team incorporated insights from multiple fields to create solutions for both individuals and communities at large.