WeareSmart,Columbus!

As an agile and collaborative innovation lab, Smart Columbus is delivering impact through thought leadership, partnerships, and project delivery.

Thought Leadership

By developing and advocating for a point of view on the future of cities while also convening with like-minded cities, our community and partners are accelerating learning and imagining a different future together. We also inspire future change by telling uplifting stories of the ecosystem’s work and impact across the region.

Fostering an Ecosystem of Partnerships

We are bringing together a wide range of like-minded partners all motivated by, invested in, and taking action toward a shared vision in one or more of the following ways:

• Counsel: Providing advice and guidance to those in the public-private-academic communities.
• Connect partners: Introducing and connecting businesses and individuals in our ecosystem to one another to foster collaborations.
• Develop strategy: Developing strategies that target identified projects or areas of impact.
• Build and deploy solutions: Tackling identified projects or areas of impact.

Delivering Impact

We are making a difference through human-centered, technology-enabled solutions co-created with the community.

• Projects we take on are intersectional, new and next, impactful, doable, and real.
• Smart Columbus supports a portfolio of projects that are initiated and financially supported in either incubation or consulting business models.

Mobility

Changing the way we think about transportation and move around our region to facilitate continued growth and access to opportunity.

Sustainability

Adopting climate technologies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to maintain a healthy, sustainable environment for all.

Digitalization

Inclusively modernizing the resident experience by digitizing services and closing the digital divide.

Emerging Technology

Remaining curious about what’s around the corner and building upon what it means to be a smart city.

Smart Columbus is focusing on three strategic pillars of activity and investment.

1. Our Foundation

Building Blocks for our Future

Smart Columbus is laying the foundation for the city of the future by developing interoperable data infrastructure and supporting high-speed broadband buildout across the Columbus region. We promote a modernized electric grid powered by renewables that supports an ongoing build out of a robust regional network of electric vehicle chargers.

2. Technology Trials

Test, Learn, Iterate

By embracing innovation, Columbus has become the ultimate testbed for how new technologies will work in a real city, with real people, solving real problems. We will partner with public and private sector partners to pilot and deploy technology solutions that solve community needs. By collecting user input and feedback every step of the way, we are validating the desirability of the solutions to know what’s working and what isn’t. When we fail, we fail fast. When we succeed, we scale.

3. Our New Way of Life

Embrace the Change

At Smart Columbus, we work to shift people’s thoughts and behaviors and, in doing so, inspire policy makers. It won’t happen overnight. In partnership with others, we create programs, introduce new ideas, and promote adoption of new solutions to create an ecosystem of innovation that’s propelling Columbus to a brighter, smarter future.