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Incremental Steps to Drive Radical Innovation in Policy Design
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Friday, November 18, 2022 • Civic Design 2022
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Incremental Steps to Drive Radical Innovation in Policy Design
Speakers: Sarah Auslander
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Summary

The complex challenges local government is tasked with addressing are often the result of national government policy or lack of one. One such challenge is the high cost of living. While working within the Tel-Aviv-Yafo Municipality, the team was tasked with reducing the high cost of living in the city. In this presentation Sarah will share a design process that engaged residents but left leadership behind, how the team overcame this obstacle to eventually engage city leadership and drive implementation of a radically innovative policy (one where local government picks up the slack in the national policy).

Key Insights

  • Radical policy change can be achieved through incremental, highly visible pilots that build trust and demonstrate feasibility.

  • Cities often resist taking responsibility over areas dominated by national policies due to fears of long-term liabilities.

  • Engaging private sector stakeholders and residents collaboratively uncovers diverse opportunities and fosters empathy in city management.

  • Digital platforms like Facebook groups can serve as effective direct communication channels between residents and city officials, creating community advocacy.

  • Physical public space adaptations, such as pop-up play areas and toy sheds, enable quick, low-commitment interventions that yield community excitement.

  • Embedding a dedicated staff member within city government strengthens cross-organizational collaboration and sustains initiatives.

  • Addressing early childhood needs requires integrating services across city departments like Parks, Community, Education, and Infrastructure.

  • Despite strong initiatives, broader economic factors like housing affordability remain huge challenges largely shaped by national policy.

  • Multi-channel presence—physical and digital—helps reach a wider demographic and amplify impact, although socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods still face barriers.

  • Small investments spread across multiple city projects can secure general manager support by balancing impact and feasibility.

Notable Quotes

"Incremental change was used to drive a radical shift in policy despite initial resistance."

"The mayor and CEO were concerned that if the city stepped in on early childhood education, they'd own it forever."

"Private educators were surprisingly open to collaborating because they were hungry for change."

"Thousands of parents came with their children to play in the pop-up urban play space downtown."

"Quick pilots are low in commitment, highly visible, and get everyone excited while figuring out funding later."

"Having a dedicated staff member created a point of contact for all things early childhood in the city government."

"Digitaf changed the way parents experience early childhood by connecting them to affordable municipal services."

"A Facebook group became a primary communication channel where parents post both praise and complaints."

"Cross-departmental cooperation helped redesign playgrounds with features that support early brain development."

"Small, tactical projects helped us secure political will and organizational capacity needed for systemic policy change."

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