HUBS COMUNITÁRIOS DE INOVAÇÃO

UMA NOVA FRONTEIRA PARA A CIDADANIA PLENA NA CIDADE INTELIGENTE DE SALVADOR

Abstract

Innovation is the foundation of economic growth and sustainable productivity, which must play a crucial role in the municipal government's strategy to rebuild and prepare the economy for the future. However, in Salvador (Bahia – Brazil), the country's fourth capital, innovation still represents a small fraction of economic activity, despite pioneering initiatives implemented since 2018, such as Hub Salvador and the Municipal Innovation Center Colabore. In the current model, there is no participation from academic institutions. Besides, the prospective of working on innovation is remote for a significant part of the population, and research and development belong to a very far reality from their lives. The situation of Salvador portrays a picture of social and economic inequalities aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which signals the need for urban reinvention based on the creativity and necessities of its population. This proposal aims to promote urban regeneration and full citizenship in the smart city context. It is based on innovative policies that stimulate creativity as a potential source of value creation, by implementing innovation hubs in each community. These hubs use design thinking to create innovation, knowledge, and learning environments, to attract talent and stimulate people's creative and fulfilling potential, in territories characterized by social, political, and economic exclusion. It is, therefore, the substitution of the deterministic perspective of innovation, such as widespread economic growth, by the approach to inclusive innovation created together with citizens. Thus, there will be the promotion of learning and sharing of ideas and concrete opportunities, aiming at the design of solutions adapted to the reality of each community, promoting inclusive and sustainable development and, therefore, improving the local quality of life.