From pilot project to core business in a city – how to make sure solutions and experiences from pilot projects become part of a city’s core activities?

Innovative sustainable solutions developed and implemented in pilot projects often prove successful but are less often set as standard solution in a linear city development process. This might be due to inefficient procedure, unwillingness of change or scepticism of new ideas. This needs to change in order to standardize project developed sustainable solutions in long term urban development projects. If not, a long term sustainable city cannot be reached.

The city of Stockholm recently got an application approved for funding for a new project called “Sustainability as standard” where we aim to find a model for how to get insights and smart solutions form projects to become standard procedure in e.g. refurbishments of the existing housing stock. We have already a few projects done with successful results but standardization of these have been hard to achieve despite proven economic, social and ecological benefit. This is the challenge to be solved with the new project, “Sustainability as standard”.

Existing solutions: The project (Sustainability as standard. See above) aims to further develop innovative sustainable solutions that have been implemented in pilot projects to become standard solutions in urban development projects. Furthermore, successfully carried out solutions in new construction projects could become standard implementations in renovation of existing building stocks. By working with a holistic perspective, multiple sustainability issues are taken into account, which provides an opportunity to strengthen positive synergies and avoid negative side effects. Based on the principle “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”, this means that different actors must cooperate effectively.

The envisioned solution to be developed by the project consists of an innovative, cross-organizational collaboration model and an analysis method for selecting and implementing smart solutions for buildings, transport and outdoor environment. The collaboration model is flexible and can be used for different solutions and contexts. The analysis method will take into account various sustainability aspects. The project is based on an in-depth analysis of key success factors in previously conducted successful research and development projects in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. The intended solution breaks new ground around streamlining sustainable urban development by systematically involving and coordinating the right players in an early stage, both in new design and in upgrading urban areas.

What is the city looking for?

We are looking for input from actors facing similar challenges with existing and ended successful projects where organisations would benefit from upscaling the project based solution to become part of the city standard. We want to learn how other cities have approached the problem as well as hear about and discuss challenges and possible solutions.  We also want to get input on how a collaboration model would look like to be beneficial.

Questions

• Do you have experiences from the above mentioned challenge (successful pilot solutions being hard to set as standard procedure in your organisation)?
• Do you have experiences from when it has happened smoothly?
• Do you have a model in your organisation to get pilots to become standardized solutions?
• If yes, what does it look like? Pros and cons?
• If no, (how) would such a model be beneficial?
• Imagine a model for collaboration or analysis to standardize new smart solutions in your organisation – what would such a model look like?
• What key features are needed for success in your particular organisation?
• What are the main challenges you think your organisation faces when implementing such a model?