Innovations in the Management of the Urban Environment

Master 2022/2023

Type: Elective course (Urban Development and Governance)

Area of studies: Public Administration

Delivered by: Department of Public Administration

Where: Saint-Petersburg School of Social Sciences

When: 2 year, 1, 2 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Instructors: Anna Sanina

Master’s programme: Urban Development and Governance

Language: English

ECTS credits: 6

Contact hours: 44

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This course explores issues in the development and application of innovative technologies and approaches in the management of the contemporary city. The aim of the course is to provide students with an advanced understanding of what public innovation is, who manage it in the city, for whom and how. The course is inter-disciplinary in nature and is intended to develop knowledge and skills related to successful urban governance in the digital world. It covers many of the cutting edge services, solutions and products that help to reframe the contemporary urban management for the city and citizens’ sake. The course consists of three parts. The first part presents the theoretical framework of innovation in the contemporary urban management. It stresses the importance of transition from public administration to the management of the urban environment, and shows the role of governance innovation in this process. The second part focuses on the analysis of the new services, products or approaches that are used in the cities worldwide to improve outcomes for the urban environment. Special attention is paid to innovative ideas and approaches in the public sector and urban governance. A particular focus is made on the challenges of innovations and on the ways to develop institutional conditions within the public sector that can stimulate the implementation and diffusion of innovations in the city. Students learn to understand the innovative ways to manage key areas of urban environment, such as urban energy planning and governance; urban design and planning; housing innovations; public transport and urban mobility. The third part discusses how to manage people, budgets, processes and other resources to improve outcomes for the city. This part provides students with comprehensive tools, methods, processes and structures of resource flexibility for more innovation in the urban environment. Students examine the role of urban analytics for management of the urban environment; discuss the prospective skills of urban managers in the contemporary world. A particular focus is made on the importance of citizen engagement and building the city community to improve the design, management and public programs for innovations.

Learning Objectives

To develop a theoretical framework of innovation in the contemporary urban management.
To learn new services, products or approaches that are used in the cities worldwide to improve outcomes for the urban environment.
To provide students with comprehensive tools, methods, processes and structures of resource flexibility for more innovation in the urban environment.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Categorizes the innovative services and actions developed by the city government.
Classifies different models and strategies of the “innovative city” development.
Develops an innovative city initiative with its corresponding sources of funding.
Inspects the role and relationships between the different stakeholders in the process of innovation in the urban environment.
Justifies the prospective skills of urban managers.
Reviews different field of application of innovative ways to manage the key areas of urban environment
Understands basic theoretical foundations of innovative process in the urban environment.

Course Contents

Urban management and urban innovation
The innovative ways to manage the key areas of the urban environment
Prospective skills of urban managers

Assessment Elements

Literature review
The analysis of articles and monographs on social innovations and their digitalization (at least 5 publications).
Case description
Analysis of digital innovation initiatives
The analysis of the concepts of "social innovation", "digitalization of social innovation" and related management decisions/actions on official websites and in the development programs of cities included in the Digital Cities Index 2022 (at least 3 cities)
The development of a comprehensive model for the introduction of digital social innovation

Interim Assessment

2022/2023 2nd module
0.3 * Analysis of digital innovation initiatives + 0.2 * Literature review + 0.3 * Case description + 0.2 * The development of a comprehensive model for the introduction of digital social innovation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Döring, M. V. (DE-588)1176428632, (DE-627)1047421038, (DE-576)516615696, aut. (2019). Energy planning towards sustainability anchoring Tunisia’s energy transition to the local level Maurice Döring ; BICC. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.516596543
Shiftan, Y., & Attard, M. (2015). Sustainable Urban Transport. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1001653
The politics of urban informality : innovations in theory and research design from the city’s margins / Issue editors: Adam M. Auerbach, Adrienne LeBas, Alison Post, Rebecca Weitz-Shapiro. (2018). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.515641634
Urban Technological Innovation: Developing and Testing a Sociotechnical Framework for Studying Smart City Projects. (2018). Urban Affairs Review, 54(2), 363. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsnar&AN=edsnar.oai.dspace.library.uu.nl.1874.381067
William F. Lever. (2014). Innovation in urban policy: collaboration rather than competition between cities. Chapters, 91. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.h.elg.eechap.15020.7

Recommended Additional Bibliography

A Method for the Evaluation of Urban Freight Transport Models as a Tool for Improving the Delivery of Sustainable Urban Transport Policy. (2019). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.9FBD323C
Bevilacqua, C., & Pizzimenti, P. (2016). Urban Innovation-Oriented Policies And Knowledge Dynamics: Insights From Boston And Cambridge, Us. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1473466
Couros, G. (2015). The Innovator’s Mindset : Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2126999
Energy Transition and Urban Planning for Local Development. A Critical Review of the Evolution of Integrated Spatial and Energy Planning. (2019). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.B3FFAA60
Martins, J. S. B. (2018). Towards Smart City Innovation Under The Perspective Of Software-Defined Networking, Artificial Intelligence And Big Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1467771
Mohammed Agbali, Claudia Trillo, Yusuf Arayici, & Terrence Fernando. (2017). Creating Smart And Healthy Cities By Exploring The Potentials Of Emerging Technologies And Social Innovation For Urban Efficiency: Lessons From The Innovative City Of Boston. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1130403
Willis, N. (2019). Growth Mindset: A Practical Guide. London: Bloomsbury Education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1998987

Authors

SANINA ANNA GEORGIEVNA

Course Syllabus