Presentation given by A. Cutler at the IT University of Copenhagen, March 2, 2013 (Copenhagen, Denmark).

1. COPENHAGEN + PROVIDENCE:
BEST PRACTICE MODEL
NEW WAYS TO LOOK AT AN
OUTDATED TERM:
INNOVATION
ITU Presentation
Andy Cutler
Smaller Cities Unite!
Cutler & Company
andy@cutlerandcompany.com
Twitter: @andypvd
Skype: andypvd

2. Presentation
• Establish a higher order of vernacular (beyond innovation)
• Mix in some commentary about my observations on
Copenhagen
• 8 elements of creating change
• The importance of design process
• Change agent heroes
• Smaller Cities Unite! initiative

3. People me so little that they do not even understand
when I complain of being misunderstood.
—Søren Kierkegaard, Journals Feb. 1836
Is Innovation…?

4. Different perspectives on innovation
(vs. ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and
change)….

5. “…words are markers of the social understanding of
the world, and the emergence of new words is a marker
of changes in society’s values.” (Skinner, 1988)

6. “When was the last time you, as a customer, called the
support line for a product you own to complain about its
lack of innovation? Or sent a meal back to the kitchen at a
restaurant because it wasn't innovative enough? In the
course of ordinary life the word innovation doesn't surface
much, and this is good. Innovation, as a word, a concept,
or an agenda, is entirely overrated. It's a vague, subjective
term that distracts from what you're really trying to do:
enjoy your life. Or in the case of a business: profit by
making good things.”
Scott Burkin, Why Innovation is Overrated, Harvard Business Review Blog
Network, July 14, 2008; author, The Myths of Innovation.

7. THINK INGENUITY OVER INNOVATION…..
Ingenuity is the quality of being clever, original, and
inventive, often in the process of applying ideas to solve
problems or meet challenges…. 'ingenuity gap’ (Thomas
Homer-Dixon) denotes the space between a challenge and
a solution……

9. Why aren’t more governments, companies,
and colleges/universities ingenius
(or innovative)?

11. The Texas Blind Salamander
(Eurycea rathbuni) is a cave
salamander that has adapted to
life living in the dark.

12. • English is spoken by 80% of Danes.
• 26 hospitals, 14 universities, 10,000 researchers, 4 science parks
and 140 biotechnological companies are located in the part of the
Øresund region, named Medicon Valley.
• The transport infrastructure of Copenhagen is among the most
efficient and reliable systems in the world.
• British style magazine Wallpaper has named Copenhagen one of the
coolest capitals in the world & Fast Company recently named it one of
the “smartest cities in Europe.”
Copenhagen at a Glance

17. 8 Elements of Creating Change

21. People understand me so little that they do not even
understand when I complain of being
misunderstood.
—Søren Kierkegaard, Journals Feb. 1836

22. Embrace it!

27. The Design Process is taught to graduates, K-12 students and design thinking bootcamps led by the Stanford d.school.
Empathy: The centerpiece to a human-centered design process.
People should provide the inspiration and direction for ideas.
Responding to human needs allows one to create designs that are both useful and meaningful to people.
Define: Synthesize information and distill it down to big takeaways. Focus on a specific user or user group: their needs and the
insights discovered. Create an actionable problem statement to unify the team, inspire others, and provides a launching pad for
ideating solutions.
Ideate: Step beyond obvious solutions. Ideate to create fluency (volume) and flexibility (variety) in innovation options. Be prolific,
wild, and visual!
Prototype: Explore options, test ideas, gain empathy, or communicate vision. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype
is worth a thousand pictures.
Test: Learn what aspects of the solution are resonating with users and which are not. This feedback helps guide subsequent
iterations.

28. CHANGE AGENT HEROES:
COPENHAGEN + PROVIDENCE

30. SMALLER CITIES
UNITE!

31. Distance: 3,705 Miles / 5,963
Kilometers

32. • First:
• Paderborn, Germany & Le Mans, France (836)
• First (Modern Era)
• Keighley, West Yorkshire, England & Poix-du-Nord,
Nord, France (1920)
• First (N. America)
• Toledo, Ohio & Toledo, Spain (1931)
• First (of its kind)
• Rochester, Minnesota & Knebworth, UK (1967)
Sister City (or Town-Twinning)
Model

33. •Cities with less than 1.5 million in population are more nimble
•Cities/Citizens with complimentary resources, assets,
experiences, challenges and opportunities
•Cities/Citizens that view what they DO well as “exportable”
•Cities/Citizens with a desire to learn, teach and mentor
•Cities/Citizens that seek substantive partnerships/relationships
•Cities/Citizens that seek out active engagement
•Cities/Citizens that are willing to connect
•Cities/Citizens that believe their platforms for ideation and
change can serve to help other locales
What If Cool Smaller Cities United?What If Cool Smaller Cities United?

34. COPENHAGEN PROVIDENCE
Founded 1137 Founded 1636
Populuation: 1.2 million Population: ~200,000 (37th
largest metro
(78% Danish; 14.6% Non-Western area in the U.S.; 2nd
largest city in New
Nations; 7.5% Western Nations) England)
14 colleges/universities 7 colleges/universities
34 square miles 20.5 square miles
World class arts & design communities World class arts & design communities
Waterfront development project(s) Waterfront development project(s)
Active commitment social media/blogging Recognized leader in mentoring young talent
-OpenCopenhagen Active preservation movement
-Visit Copenhagen IBM Smarter City
-Miss Design Says Leading American city for youth arts programs
-Copenhagenize One of the oldest engineering programs in
US/Brown
-Go Visit Denmark
-CPH Blonde
Leader in sustainability & bicycle
transportation
IBM Smarter City
Why Copenhagen & Providence?

35. Providence
* I-95 Corridor
* 1 hour to Boston
* 2 hours to Cape Cod, Berkshires, Portland
* 3.5 hours (train/bus)/1 hour (plane) to NYC
Copenhagen
* Gateway to Stockholm, Oslo,
Helsinki
* Denmark is southernmost
Scandinavian country
* 1 hour to Berlin
* 2 hours to Paris/London (plane)
Gateway Communities

36. • Economic in nature
• New approaches in addressing community challenges
• Expanded networks
• Experiential learning opportunities for students
• Increasing awareness of our community(ies)
-press (traditional + non-traditional)
-social media
-tourism + travel
-collaboration through through sharing (lectures, conferences, mentoring)
-create & leverage as many storytelling opportunities as possible
ROC vs. ROI

37. A New Type of Ambassadorship

38. 5 Elements of
Interaction

39. PROVIDENCE
ASSETS

40. Arts & Culture
Tape Art

41. Entrepreneurial Programming

42. Conferences / Events

43. ”Two great tastes that
taste great together.”
Imagine a World without these DuosImagine a World without these Duos

44. “The shortest
distance between
two people is a
smile.”
Victor Borge