Urbanova, a smart city living lab in Spokane, Washington’s University District, is collaborating with Gallup, the global analytics and advisory company, to identify Urbanova projects that matter to citizens based on analysis of public sentiment and other available data. Gallup will conduct qualitative in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and a comprehensive data review to uncover public priorities that smart city projects can address.

“As cities grow and adapt, they will be more connected – people to places and to each other. Neighborhoods and communities are defined by those who live there,” said Kim Zentz, managing director, Urbanova, and co-director, Washington State University smart cities initiatives. “Urbanova is focused on harnessing data to gain insights, empower people and solve urban challenges. By collaborating with Gallup, we are delivering on our commitment to identify citizen-driven applications that matter to people and that strive for social, environmental and economic resiliency and equity. Ultimately, we expect to develop a process that is replicable and scalable for other communities to use.”

Stakeholder interviews will help to identify and define problems or “pain points” in the community that Urbanova projects can address. Interviews also will ensure that Urbanova projects align with key issues related to public health, infrastructure, economic development, government, transportation and social issues. Gallup will simultaneously conduct a comprehensive review of existing data sources – including public and private data that is local, regional and national in scope – that provide insights for monitoring, analyzing and assessing citizens’ concerns.

“At Gallup, we are committed to helping leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems by understanding the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens,” said Justin Bibb, Gallup senior adviser and project lead. “We have an opportunity to help Urbanova ensure its projects are aligned with the priorities of Spokane’s citizens. Ultimately, we will help Urbanova leverage the citizen voice to identify smart city solutions that matter.”

Click here for a PDF of the press release.