LEADING EDGE DIALOGUE SERIESN A T I O N A L U R B A N E X T E N S I O N C O N F E R E N C E

M A Y 2 0 1 9

SMART CITIES: TECHNOLOGY EQUITY, LIVABILITYAND TRUST

AUTHORK i m Z e n t z , M A

PRESENTED BY

THE ISSUE

Cities are getting smarter. New technologies help monitor traffic and enforceparking. First responders use camera systems to explore incident scenes forpotentially hazardous materials or spills. Autonomous vehicles are being piloted.With these new technologies, governments and communities have concernsabout safety, privacy, and equity. The key to successfully navigating these issues istrust. Building trust has never been more vital, nor more vexing than it is today. In thissession we carried on a robust and enlightening discussion on the challenges ofgaining the trust of an increasingly skeptical citizenry and the role Extension canplay in bridging the gap between technological progress and public trust in oursmart cities. Urbanova, a multi-sector collaboration in Spokane, WA, measures successfuloutcomes by the metrics of: healthier citizens, safer neighborhoods, smarterinfrastructure, a more sustainable environment, and a stronger economy.Urbanova has most recently been focused on multi-disciplinary projects centeredon health and the built environment,safe and secure outdoor spaces and theaffordability of basic household expenses - especially utilities. Projects and areasof emphasis described in this session were selected based on work completed byUrbanova and Gallup assessing both qualitative and quantitative data inSpokane’s East Central Neighborhood in 2017 and 2018.

ABOUT THE LEADING EDGEDIALOGUE WHITE PAPERSERIES

Leading Edge Dialogues (LED’s)were six 90-minute interactiveworkshops held during the 2019National Urban ExtensionConference which exploredcritical issues facing our cities andour universities. Each LEDconsisted of a multi-sector panelpresentation followed by afacilitated group discussion withall attendees. This paper capturesboth the presentations and theinnovative discussion thatfollowed for one of the LED’s.Papers have been written foreach of the LED’s which focusedon the following topics: Density,Youth Engagement, Preparing theExtension Workforce, Data andPolicy, Fulfilling the Land GrantUniversity Mission, and SmartCities.

Kim Zentz, WSU Director of UrbanInnovation and CEO of Urbanova,described how Urbanova, a multi-sector collaboration in Spokane,WA, approaches its mission to findnew ways to make communitiesbetter for people while seekingscalable and replicable solutions tourban challenges defined by thevoice of the people with the lived-experience in the neighborhoods.   Kevin Sanders, Adjunct Professorof Marketing at GonzagaUniversity and Owner/Principal ofBecoming Trusted, providedattendees a seminar on the currentstate of trust in the U.S. comparedto the rest of the world, the basisfor trust and effective strategies,and behaviors that can build andmaintain trust in business, privateand personal settings.

PANELISTS

SMART CITIES: TECHNOLOGY

How do we give meaning to the data? How do we ensure privacy and guarantee security of personal information?As innovative approaches are employed, how do we mitigate anyunintended negative consequences? How will the digital divide be bridged, particularly in rural and underservedcommunities?

The work of the university, of Extension, and of the public and private sectorsincreasingly converge at the intersection between data and people. Industriesand governments are embracing outcomes-based digital transformationquickly. This is a multidimensional and complex process that uses data andtechnology innovation to solve problems, enhance experiences, streamlineprocesses and deliver value. Some important questions:

Ultimately, Extension will only be successful in addressing these questions byworking across traditional boundaries. The key to progress and success will befound in the quality of the trust relationships established between and amongstakeholders. Attendees agreed that the best approach in constructing such relationships isnot to begin conversations with the data itself, but instead to find commonground that can be shared across sometimes divisive boundaries.  People needto be seen as the solution; the focus cannot be on technology in search of asolution. 

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GENERATING AND DELIBERATING

As measured by efforts such as the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust ingovernment has fallen from 72% to 18% in just a couple of decades, and peopledo not trust business leaders or the media. In the past over 50% of us trustedothers; now that trust has declined to 18% for millennials today.  The goal of this LED was to engage Extension professionals in a discussion thatexplores new ways for Extension to think about and act upon their role in thetrusted relationships in the communities they serve.

THE ISSUE (CONT'D)

GROUP THOUGHTS ON 'TRUST'

"Change creates uncertainty,uncertainty creates risk, andrisk requires trust."

“We now need to build moretrust, more often with morepeople who are less willingand have less time.”

ACTION

EQUITY, LIVABILITY AND TRUST

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Generating shared understanding between people of different backgroundsand cultures and life experiences is key, and while the end result might not beactual agreement on specific issues, building concentric circles of trust whereparticipants feel that they are heard is a win nonetheless, one that can beutilized as a foundation for future development. Participants acknowledged that trust has now become fleeting; thetrustworthiness of people and organizations is constantly re-evaluated.Extension's traditional approach -- based on many years of experience – is toassume that their long history of building trusted relationships in thecommunities they serve is sufficient going forward.  Unfortunately, thisstrategy is no longer successful in today's society; Extension personnel mustbe much more intentional about building trust with people – work that is newin their experience.    In this session, all concurred that Extension's role revolved around helping tocreate synergy and advance solutions.  Such an effort requires aiding peopleto see the value of listening to others, respecting different approaches, andcommitting to a mutual construction of an inclusive future.  Both leaders atall levels and the land grant universities must be involved in this work if it isto succeed.

Leaders at every level can commit to participating in a training sharedexperience where all can learn the state of trust, the mechanics of trust, thelanguage of trust, and the strategies and techniques for building andmaintaining trust in their relationships. Particular focus should be given tolearning how to include the stakeholder groups that are most often silent orinvisible in our work to make positive change.  Land grant universities can fully embrace with action and resources the“Extension Renaissance” (described by Stephen M. Gavazzi in his book: Land-Grant Universities for the Future - Higher Education for the Public Good).Extension is perfectly positioned to improve the translation of universityresearch to application in our communities, towns and cities. Now is the timeto be “land grant fierce!”

GROUP THOUGHTS ON 'TRUST'

CONT'D

“Trust is comprised ofsincerity and competence.People tend to overvaluecompetency when, in reality,sincerity wins every time.

GROUP THOUGHTS ON

'SINCERITY & RELATIONSHIPS'

“Sincerity is important, butcultural competency isessential”  

“At the end of the day, yourcompetence does not matterif people doubt yoursincerity.”

"Deep, trusting, cooperativerelationships are thefoundation for greatersuccess with technologicalprogress."

(Preceding quotes representsentiment of group dialogue and arenot attributed to any individual.)

SMART CITIES: TECHNOLOGY

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIONAL URBAN EXTENSION

SUGGESTIONS

Author Suggestions: Presently, county Extension office level work is fartoo invisible. I believe it is naturally trained to stay in its particular swim lane.County Extension should be encouraged to adopt a culture of constantlybeing the honest broker between first the university and the community, butalso between the voices and stakeholders that are not traditionally at thetable in discussions that are intended to broker change in the community.Staff should become expert in facilitation techniques, in active listening andstory-telling. County Extension can be the bridge builders that movetraditional outreach to “inreach” – meeting people where they are andbringing their perspective into the conversation to be heard, with equity andinclusion as core values. LED Attendees Suggestions: Extension is already people-centric.Understanding how to build more trust with more people and with peoplewho are increasingly less willing and who have less time will be crucialmoving forward. CES must learn to build a common language andunderstanding between and among groups with disparate experiences.County level Extension can act to make intentions very clear and help allunderstand the "why" involved with every change. When an Extensionemployee observes innovation taking precedence over trust, the beststrategy is to slow the conversation and insure that people’s voices areheard.

NUEL presented a strategic analysis of urban Extension opportunities, andfour common themes that emerge in the literature on the unique aspects ofurban Extension, in The National Framework for Urban Extension (NUELSteering Committee (NUEL): et al., 2015).

The Western Center forMetropolitan Extension andResearch (WCMER) is a multi-university collaboration establishedby the Western Extension DirectorsAssociation to increase the internalcapacity of Western Extensionprograms to address metropolitanissues, and to elevate the statureand value of Cooperative Extensionto external metropolitan audiences.Since its founding in 2014 we havefocused our efforts on appliedresearch on best Extension practicesand issues facing metropolitanareas, and professional developmentfor Extension professionals, with agoal of better aligning programs andprogram delivery with the needs,issues and interest of theirmetropolitan constituency.

ABOUT THE WESTERN CENTER FORMETROPOLITAN CENTER FORRESEARCH AND EXTENSION

EQUITY, LIVABILITY AND TRUST

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PROGRAMMING

Extension programming should reflect the research strengths of the universitythey represent, which often aligns well with demonstrating sincerity andcompetency to communities. In addition, the research strengths of theuniversity often resonate with those of the regional economy, frequentlyleading to a natural alignment of priorities for the communities served.

ABOUT THE WCMER CONT'D

Institutional membership in theWCMER has increased from sixfounding university Extensionmembers: (University of AlaskaFairbanks, University of California,Colorado State University,University of Idaho, Oregon StateUniversity, and Washington StateUniversity) to 11 in 2019 with theaddition of University of Florida,Michigan State University, NewMexico State University, Universityof Nevada Reno, and The Ohio StateUniversity. This expandedmembership has allowed us tobroaden our collaborations andreach, and engage in new projectsthat advance the knowledge base ofExtension work in our metropolitanregions.

POSITIONING

“Greater Efficiency + Teaching/Engagement Excellence + Applied Research+ Accessible/Affordable to all students + Community-Focused (vsrural/urban) + Closer to Home Impact = Greater ROI for public highereducation.”

Extension is already positioned as a trusted local provider. And by virtue of itsdistributed footprint, it is considered a bona fide member of the community.Author Steven M. Gavazzi offers the following “Formula for HarmoniousRelationships:”

Extension could utilize its already well-honed ability to collaborate with itsnational network of Extension professionals to act in a mentor capacity toother organizations and groups, demonstrating how to adapt and scalesolutions to best address the urban/metro population size and communityscale issues.

Positioning: How Extension is positioned at the national, state, regional,and city levels Programs: How Extension addresses the multitude of issues and prioritiesin the cityPersonnel: How Extension attracts, develops, retains, and structurescompetent talent Partnerships: How Extension collaborates to leverageresources for collective impactPartnerships: How Extension collaborates to leverage resources forcollective impact

The following section is aligned with these themes:

PERSONNEL

NUEL should work as a coalition to advocate for resources (cost and impactmeasures) that can most effectively  address community and urban issues thathave risen to national attention. Extension has access to tailored solutions to abroad swath of community situations. This knowledge coupled with a provenexpertise in building trust where little existed prior to Extension’s interventioncan help identify and prioritize strategies that can be durably implementedacross the country. Partnerships forged with national scale private foundations, as well asorganizations such as the United Way Worldwide, YMCA / YWCA, and manyothers can be a force multiplier for collective impact for all involved.

ABOUT NUEL

National Urban Extension Leaders(NUEL) began in 2013 as a grass-roots effort of a group of passionateand committed urban Extensioneducators with the mission toadvocate and advance the strategicimportance and long-term value ofurban Extension activities by beingrelevant locally, responsivestatewide, and recognizednationally. NUEL is geared towardscreating a network for collectiveimpact currently with activeparticipation from 23 states. NUELis passionate and committed tomoving urban Extension forwardrealizing each state in theCooperative Extension System isdifferent and may have diverseideas and strategies for meetingurban needs.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Rusty CollinsKatherine WilliamsDeShana York

FUNDING PROVIDED BY:

SMART CITIES: TECHNOLOGY EEQUITY, LIVABILITY AND TRUST

PARTNERSHIPS

Extension work is unique and, as proposed here, likely to become increasinglymore so. As such, human resource systems should be re-imagined in a way thatis un-coupled from the metrics of the faculty, staff and administration of theresearch university. The dimensions of performance, attraction, development,retention and organizational structure should be developed based on theoutcomes for which Extension is best positioned to facilitate, which are chosenand measured by the population served. Reward systems and metrics ofperformance evaluation should emphasize inputs from the community andurban climate in which Extension operates.

In terms of the programming so created, Extension might need to shift from atop-down approach to a convening and facilitating mindset. A good strategywould be to convene stakeholders first, listen to their input, assimilate theinformation shared, build consensus across the group concerning appropriateactions to address the issues so described, and then decide the proportion ofeducational content to use.  Finally, work with stakeholders to choose certainforms of program delivery that all agree would serve community needs. Extension could be the entity that teaches the community how to trust oneanother. Once a coalition of the willing is formed, Extension’s role can be toremove roadblocks and to scout for resources.

Revised 3/24/2020