International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 22 BEST PRACTICE Urban space Reverse innovation Rethinking urban transport through global learning Urban mobility, Global learning, Sustainable mobility, Innovation Congestion, pollution, lack of space and noise - cities worldwide struggle with negative externalities of motorised transport. To cope with these challenges, cities are searching for innovations that help develop more sustainable mobility solutions. Since developing and emerging countries are often characterised by dynamic economic environments, severe urbanisation pressures and relatively high motorisation growth rates, they are at times quicker and bolder when it comes to developing and testing mobility innovations. This is where the potential of “reverse innovation” comes into play. Alina Ulrich, Claudia Kiso, Elena Scherer T he role of innovation is pivotal in economic development. They often make a difference in addressing urgent (environmental) challenges. The concept of reverse innovation first came up in product development 1 . In the context of urban mobility reverse innovation refers to any new concept, technology or idea that is adopted first in the developing world, is shaped by the local context and has the potential to inspire enhanced sustainable urban mobility in developed economies 2 . Innovations from cities in developing countries - a potential to be tapped The concept is challenging the traditional innovation model, in which developing countries are seen as beneficiaries rather than innovators. In the last decade, many of those countries have experienced a profound transformation with high urbanisation, population and gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates, often accompanied by an increasing demand for individual motorised transport. Mobility innovations from developing and emerging countries often differ from solutions in industrialised economies. Nonetheless, they can be inspiring showcases, since they approach urban mobility from a different perspective or - like the City of Shenzhen - operate at a larger scale. Shenzhen replaced more than 16,000 diesel buses and now operates an entirely electrical bus fleet. However, innovations are the result of their local context. Transferring concepts or relevant aspects to other cities requires reflection and adaption. Reverse innovations in urban mobility - discovering the vast range of inspiration Unlike common belief, (reverse) innovation not only encompasses Research and Development (R&D) and high-tech solutions. In the context of urban mobility, five types of innovation can be identified: • Technological innovation (e.g. battery swapping for electric scooters) • Regulatory innovation (e.g. regulating new mobility devices for pedestrians) • Service innovation (e.g. electronic payment) • Social innovation (e.g. crowd sourcing of safety data for planners) • Business model innovation (e.g. dockless bike sharing systems) One of the most prominent examples of reverse innovation is certainly the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system invented in Curitiba, Brazil, in the 1970’s - long before the term was first used. Nowadays, BRT systems operate in cities all over the world. Ten recent innovation examples from Asia, Latin America and Africa and their potential for German cities have been analysed and put together in a joint publication of the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) 3 (Figure 1). Some of the innovations have even made it to Europe: The publication includes examples for successful innovations like the electric Gogoro Smartscooter from Taiwan, used in the fleet of a scooter sharing company in the streets of Berlin, to the ride sharing platform Raye7 from Egypt, currently exploring the potential to start operating in Finland. S-o Paulo, with its “permanent parklet programme” is an example for a regulatory innovation many cities in industrialised countries could benefit from. Inspiring idea from Brazil - Redesigning parking lots Redesigning parking spaces into public areas - so called “parklets” - is not a new concept. However, the city of S-o Paulo has added an innovative twist to the original idea. The city came up with a comprehensive programme that enables local stakeholders, ranging from ordinary citizens to small business owners, to envision and realize public parklets according to their wishes. Clear guidelines provide the necessary regulatory framework 4 . This participatory approach combined with the clear guidelines raises the public acceptance of the permanent parklets and turns them into a successful measure boosting more liveable cities. People appreciate the new recreational spaces and collectively organise their maintenance (Figure 2). Figure 1: Joint brochure by GIZ and UBA identifies 10 innovations from the Global South. Source: UBA/ GIZ (2017) International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 23 Urban space BEST PRACTICE Permanent parklets are a response to urban challenges in reducing the space of motorized transport and reshaping it into a place for people instead of cars. Shifting road space from cars to other modes is incentivising walking and cycling and discouraging car use. The implementation of parklets in the German city of Stuttgart engendered a controversial discussion on the distribution of urban space. 5 Taking S-o Paulo’s comprehensive approach as an example might be an answer to a more effective implementation of parklets in countries like Germany. Relevance of reverse innovation for Germany and beyond On their way to a liveable urban environment with short distances, green spaces, healthy air quality and a sustainable urban mobility, even cities in industrialised countries are currently in a stage of development and are urgently searching for solutions. 6 In the eyes of the world, “Made in Germany” still is seen as a proof of quality, but it is not necessarily associated with innovation 7 . Especially when it comes to digital appliances, which are fundamentally transforming the mobility sector, Germany can learn from developing and emerging countries 8 . In many of them cashless payment (e.g. MPESA), the use of mobile phone applications (e.g. Go-Jek) and smart ticketing are already part of people’s everyday life. Today, cities are global actors, well networked and in many ways more flexible than countries. As the example of S-o Paulo shows, innovative urban mobility ideas can originate in cities everywhere on the globe. Differentiating between developing and developed countries is often no longer appropriate with regard to their cities. For this reason, they can benefit from more exchange with partners from Nairobi, Shenzhen, Bogota or other innovative cities. In order to be successful, this dialogue has to include actors from the private sector (e.g. start-ups) and civil society. “Learning globally” means analysing good practice examples from around the globe systematically and discussing them openly. But sustainable mobility is more than that. In Germany, existing regulation sometimes hinders innovation. To facilitate thinking “outside the box” cities could create more room for experiments beyond conventional pilot projects - accepting the potential for failure. Understanding that a different context results in useful innovations may also inspire European countries to adapt their regulatory framework. One thing is certain: In order to create a more sustainable city, waiting for technical solutions such as autonomous driving or electric vehicles will not be enough. Instead, cities should create an environment that enables the constant development of small (or big) innovative solutions that can incrementally improve their inhabitants’ quality of life. ■ 1 Vijay Govindarajan, Chris Trimble, Jeffrey R. Immelt (2009): „How GE is Disrupting Itself,”, 10/ 2009 2 UBA/ GIZ (2017): Reverse Innovation - Rethinking Urban Transport through Global Learning, German Environment Agency. Dessau-Roßlau, 09/ 2017. Retrieved from https: / / www. u m we l t b u n d e s a m t . d e / s i t e s / d e f a u l t/ f i l e s / medien/ 376/ publikationen/ reverse_innovation_bf_0.pdf 3 Ibid. 4 City of S-o Paulo (2014): Decreto Nº 55.045, de 16 de Abril de 2014. Retrieved from http: / / gestaourbana.prefeitura. sp.gov.br/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2014/ 04/ Decreto-55.045. pdf 5 Universität Stuttgart (2016): Parklets Stuttgart. Raum der Begegnung polarisiert, http: / / www.uni-stuttgart.de/ usus/ 2016/ 07/ parklets-stuttgart-raum-der-begegnungpolarisiert/ 6 German Environment Agency (2017): Tomorrow’s Cities - Environmentally friendly mobility, low noise, green spaces, compact housing and mixed-use districts, German Environment Agency. Dessau-Roßlau, 05/ 2017. Retrieved from https: / / www.umweltbundesamt.de/ sites/ default/ files/ medien/ 421/ publikationen/ 20170814_stadt_von_ morgen_version_2_englisch_web.pdf 7 GIZ (2015): Germany in the Eyes of the World - Second Survey. Retrieved from https: / / www.giz.de/ en/ downloads/ giz2015-en-germany-in-the-eyes-of-the-world-2015.pdf 8 Ibid. Claudia Kiso Scientific Advisor, German Environment Agency (UBA), Dessau-Roßlau (DE) claudia.kiso@uba.de Elena Scherer Advisor, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Bonn (DE) elena.scherer@giz.de Alina Ulrich Research Fellow, University of Wuppertal (DE) a.ulrich@uni-wuppertal.de Figure 2: Parklets transform parking into recreational areas in S-o Paulo, Brazil. Photo: Lincoln Paiva