A group of local innovators are setting their sights beyond smart cities to create a smart region. And since the pandemic has affected communities both personally and economically, they’re starting off by using tech to help solve some of the immediate challenges caused by Covid-19.
The North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA), a nonprofit group made up of business and government leaders, announced its launch Tuesday. Co-founded by Dallas Entrepreneur Center board member Trey Bowles and InnoCity Partners co-creator Jennifer Sanders, the NTXIA’s goal is to use data and technology to help communities improve quality of life, inclusive economic development and resource efficiency.
“Smart city collaboration is now moving beyond municipal boundaries, and more and more regions are working together in order to create seamless interchanges for their residents," Sanders said in a prepared statement. "Everyone benefits from the North Texas region working collectively to create the most compelling and innovative solutions to support government, residents and businesses, and to provide the infrastructure that is prepared to collaborate to respond with agility in times of crisis."
"Smart City collaboration is now moving beyond municipal boundaries."
And the group already has a number of local partners. The NTXIA has teamed up with Addison, Allen, Arlington, Coppell, Corinth, Dallas, Dallas County, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Innovation Alliance, Dallas Regional Chamber, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Frisco, Garland, Irving, McKinney, McKinney Economic Development Corporation, North Texas Commission, North Texas Council of Governments, Plano, Richardson and the Texas Research Alliance.
In addition, the NTXIA is partnering with Mastercard’s City Possible network, which focuses on inclusive and sustainable development of urban areas.
Through its collaboration of regional partners, the NTXIA is looking to provide insight on economic growth and financial policy, as well as provide a procurement model that allows for faster deployment of initiatives. According to the NTXIA’s website, some of the challenges the North Texas region faces and which the organization plans to address include population inflow, workforce upskilling, aging infrastructure and the blurring of geographic boundaries.
While the group plans to first focus its efforts on helping communities create Covid-19 related plans and solutions across jurisdictions, the group said it plans to establish advisory committees on issues like cybersecurity, digital inclusion and financial modeling. It added that its "best-minds approach" will help business and government leaders tackle difficult and changing issues in the digital era.
“By bringing their consortium of cities to the network, we will help the regions represented by NTXIA tap into the insights and resources of the global community and accelerate local collaboration to deploy solutions at scale,” said Miguel Gamiño, executive VP of enterprise partnerships and head of Global Cities for Mastercard, in a prepared statement.
