Urbanova to partner with Gallup

Gallup and Urbanova Launch Groundbreaking People-Centered Platform to Enhance Global Smart City Initiatives

SPOKANE, Washington – August 22, 2018 – Building on their initial research, Gallup and Urbanova have partnered to develop one of the world’s premier people-centered smart cites platforms to give municipalities the data and insights they need to improve the social, economic and environmental equity and resiliency of their neighborhoods.

This is a unique partnership that pairs the global analytics insights from Gallup with the leading industry players from Urbanova, including Avista, Itron and McKinstry as well as the City of Spokane, and Urbanova’s many public and non-profit sector collaborators. Together, these players will create a platform that will promote dynamic, sustainable and equitable economic growth, and offer actionable insights to solve urban challenges by using people-centered analytics.

This novel approach is new to a larger market problem and serves as a reset to the unproven tech-first methods that have hindered attempts at enlightened city planning in the past. Solutions will be created with an in-depth understanding of a city’s problems according to its own citizens, businesses and visitors.

Gallup and Urbanova will develop, test, and deploy smart city initiatives using findings from its unique Community Impact Evaluation System, which captures previously unavailable behavioral, attitudinal and emotional indicators. The Gallup-Urbanova team will also engage residents in a panel experience, which will serve as both a research tool and a form of continuous citizen engagement, allowing members to share concerns, ideas and express preferences on issues and priorities that impact the neighborhood and city in which they live.

Cities need assurance that they are correctly identifying the pain points their constituents experience every day, and need evidence on which to base their recommendations to policy makers. This platform will be a proving ground to identify community priorities and assess the feasibility and potential effectiveness of deploying technology solutions to address problems. Most importantly, the platform will measure results and provide transparency on how measures implemented are impacting the citizen-selected metrics of focus.

“This approach will enable Urbanova, our partners and stakeholders to make investments that are recognized for the tangible benefit to the local population,” said Kim Zentz, Urbanova CEO. “Together with Gallup, we are demonstrating the power of a people-centric smart cities operating model that aligns objectives, capabilities and outcomes to real-world citizen needs.”

“The operating platform that Gallup and Urbanova are engineering is truly unlike anything else. The models and frameworks developed through this project will provide a new template for how to assess the return on investment of smart cities initiatives everywhere,” said Justin Bibb, Head of Gallup’s Global Cities Practice. “This work represents an important next step in the Gallup-Urbanova partnership, resulting in a replicable, scalable and sustainable model for cities across the world.”

About Urbanova

Urbanova leverages the vibrant urban advantages of Spokane, Washington to find new ways to make communities better for people. Spokane’s downtown University District is the living laboratory for scalable projects that harness data to gain insights, empower people and solve urban challenges in new ways—all with the goal of enabling healthier citizens, safer neighborhoods, smarter infrastructure, a more sustainable environment and a stronger economy.

About Gallup

Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.

Media contacts:

Itron, Inc. 
Alison Mallahan
Senior Public Relations Manager
509-891-3802
alison.mallahan@itron.com

Gallup
Justin McCarthy
Consulting Analyst
202-715-3217
justin_mccarthy@gallup.com