North Texas Innovation Alliance Consortium Launches to Create the Most Connected, Smart and Resilient Region in the Country

North Texas Innovation Alliance Consortium Launches to Create the Most Connected, Smart and Resilient Region in the Country

NTXIA joins Mastercard’s City Possible network, with its members able to leverage Mastercard’s expertise, data and partnerships to solve pressing challenges facing the region. 

May 26, 2020 [DALLAS, TX] – Today, the North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA) was launched to create the most connected, smart, and resilient region in the country. NTXIA is a 501(c)3 consortium comprised of key cross-sector stakeholders working to collaboratively solve pressing challenges to improve quality of life, inclusive economic development, and increase resource efficiency through the use of data, technology and community. Fueled by strong partnerships, the NTXIA will be the largest initiative of its kind in the United States. 

 NTXIA recognizes the benefits of a regional approach to share best practices, leverage shared resources, build connections, create efficiencies and improve services throughout the region. At the inset, this will be accomplished through frequent convenings of its membership to focus on immediate challenges related to COVID-19, and looking ahead to establish core priorities, plans and deliverables that establish cross-jurisdictional solutions. 

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“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,” stated Jennifer Sanders, Cofounder, North Texas Innovation Alliance. “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 can attract more residents and organizations, and is prepared to collaborate to respond with agility in times of crisis.”

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The 20 founding members of the North Texas Innovation Alliance include: 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 (NCTCOG), Plano, Richardson, and the Texas Research Alliance. Through its leadership and vision for the region, the North Texas Commission played a key role in establishing the consortium through hosting convenings of its membership that facilitated collaboration in shaping the mission of the NTXIA. 

 One of the core tenants of NTXIA is the establishment of strategic advisory committees to tackle complex topics including data standards and privacy, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, financial models and procurement. It is NTXIA’s belief that these problems can only be solved through best minds approaches, and can be addressed more quickly together than those developed individually.

The NTXIA will enhance economic vitality and highlight a culture of innovation that supports municipalities, agencies, companies and academic institutions across North Texas. In addition to the consortium addressing both current and evolving challenges of efficiencies, sustainability, economic growth and quality of life, the NTXIA will also focus on regional standards, policies, financial and procurement models that will facilitate faster deployment and results. 

The NTXIA has joined Mastercard’s City Possible network,  a partnership and co-creation initiative that brings cities, companies and communities together to identify common challenges and co-develop solutions that advance inclusive and sustainable urban development.

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“Since its inception, City Possible was always designed to become a network of networks and we are already seeing that come to fruition in 2020,” commented Miguel Gamino, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Partnerships and Head of Global Cities. “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.”

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Through the consortium, NTXIA will work to address and enhance elements serving the region including:  

·       Linkages between educational institutions, business and community leaders. These links create alignment, incentivize shared investment, and generate economic opportunity.

·       Infrastructure and the effective management, efficiency and stewardship of shared natural and human resources. 

·       A strategy for resilience in the face of extreme weather and other events, such as COVID-19 and related impacts.

·       Connecting all parts of the region through linking elements that are the lifeblood of access to opportunity and economic development, including power, water and broadband.

·       Effective and forward-looking land use policies, urban design and zoning.

·       Ensuring a strong talent pipeline throughout the lifecycle, including trade schools and four-year college alternatives to prepare the workforce for future career skills and opportunity.

·       Accessible and efficient transit solutions and traffic management. 

About the North Texas Innovation Alliance

The North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA) is a 501(c)3 consortium comprised of key cross-sector stakeholders working to build and implement a smart region strategy for North Texas. The mission of the NTXIA is to build the most connected, smart, and resilient region in the country. NTXIA was launched to collaboratively utilize data, technology and community to address the most pressing topics to create solutions that will improve quality of life, drive inclusive economic development and promote resource efficiency. 

Founding members of the North Texas Innovation Alliance include: 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 (NCTCOG), Plano, Richardson, and the Texas Research Alliance.  The NTXIA is a member of Mastercard’s City Possible network, a community dedicated to advancing inclusive and sustainable development through collaboration. For more information, please visit www.NTXIA.org, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @NTXIA_, and LinkedIn at NTXIA. 

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Local & National COVID-19 Resources

Local & National COVID-19 Resources

This page is meant to aggregate tools, resources and trackers across sector and at the community level related to COVID-19 updates, programs and response tools.

Public Sector Tools and Resources

NACTO resource hub tracks COVID-19's impact on transportation

• Bloomberg Philanthropies and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) launched the Transportation Response Center, an online resource to give mayors and other leaders real-time information on the transportation strategies cities are deploying to adapt to the new coronavirus.

• The resource hub will serve as a repository of "actionable, adaptable practices" to protect residents from COVID-19 such as efforts to convert parking spaces into pick-up zones for food from restaurants; to allow rear-door bus boarding or waive transit fares; to open certain roads for pedestrians and bicyclists exclusively.

• The hub will also have safety information on how agencies can keep workers protected; how to provide safe rides to testing facilities; and how to publicly communicate new transit policies.

Business and Nonprofit Resources

Paycheck Protection Program via the Small Business Administration (SBA) via the CARES Act

North Texas Cares is a funder collaborative made up of North Texas foundations and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas that have come together to provide support for organizations that work with people and communities who may be most negatively affected by COVID-19. Participating funders are working collaboratively to collect emergency funding requests, using a common online application, in order to simplify and streamline the process for nonprofits seeking emergency funds. Funders will use a shared portal to access information submitted by nonprofits via the common grant application.

DEC Network resource “Let’s Grow North Texas Business” which aggregates resources, events and support for entrepreneurs and small businesses across the region:

Community Resources:

Dallas Regional Chamber’s Say Yes to Dallas Initiative Connects Displaced Workers to Jobs

2020 Resolution: Crossing the Threshold

2020 Resolution: Crossing the Threshold

If you make your way down the aisle of any self-help section at a bookstore, no doubt there will be many options addressing setting and maintaining boundaries. Here’s the thing - in 2020 I’m focused on throwing geographic boundaries out the window [but not out of a moving vehicle - that’s not environmentally responsible].

In the digital world and ‘new normal’, boundaries and jurisdictions are almost impossible to navigate, regulate - let alone enforce. As our cities transform into smart cities, this becomes even more critical. 

In fact, there is more to gain when we focus on a regional approach as opposed to being bound by the boundaries of our municipalities. The most fundamental barriers holding the US, and all of its parts, behind in scaling the smart cities movement are policy lags, procurement and financial constraints. To drive success, these must be addressed, and they must be addressed in an innovative and standardized manner, hence the smart region. 

In Dallas-Fort Worth, more than 30 percent of residents live and work in different counties within the metroplex. When those counties operate on disparate systems, whether emergency services, traffic signals, mass transit and so many others, we all suffer. 

While enviable in many ways, as we address the impact of 360 people per day moving to DFW, we must address the region as a whole if we want that growth to be sustainable environmentally and operationally. Boundaries are irrelevant - and crossing them is critical.

 Increases in extreme weather events, traffic, infrastructure deterioration, affordable housing and income inequality challenges are unintended, but addressable, consequences of this prosperity. There are innumerable opportunities to find success in regional collaboration utilizing best practices in data, technology, sustainability, land use, and service delivery, but the first step is the establishment of entities that drive strategy, commitment to collaboration and execution. Public, private, civic and academic institutions all play critical roles; which is why forming an entity to align and unite these stakeholders has been found to be a best practice. 

Our experience in building the Dallas Innovation Alliance has demonstrated the power of partnerships and dedicated coordination amongst these sectors. There are examples of burgeoning extensions of this model, including Phoenix, San Diego and Colorado, among others.

But first - we must be brutally honest in discussing the barriers to collaboration. At its core in a new sector, a lack of experience in executing integrated projects and strategies can incite paralysis via risk aversion. Cities all struggle with a lack of financial and internal resources. I have yet to meet with a city whose staff is bored with money to burn. There are legal challenges to facilitating data sharing, streamlined and responsive procurement, and others. 

These represent tactical and resource-driven barriers, but there are also psychological ones in the form of protectionism for an individual city’s (or university’s) success, going it alone for purposes of economic development, relocations and job creation. While this mindset is a natural part of the human condition - it inhibits reaching the greater good and fulfilling the proven mantra that a rising tide lifts all ships at a time where the risks have never been greater. 

The concept of smart cities can be particularly overwhelming for many small and mid-size cities to embark upon; those who are already on the path can lift up those coming after them. We receive calls once a week from cities seeking counsel on what the hell this smart city thing is their [mayor, city council, civic leader, etc.] keeps bringing up; and how do they approach it, particularly if they barely have an IT manager, let alone a CIO with a small army of staff. 

So where to start? Begin with a level-set on the greatest strengths and challenges facing cities individually, and the region concurrently. What are the clear priorities that can incite alignment and a rallying cry? Discuss the concept and definition of a smart city, vis a vis region, what fits and what doesn’t for the group? 

Where do these concepts hold the most potential? Honestly is the best policy here - has the region built the foundation necessary to raise the barn? More on that brick and mortar in the next post...and beware shiny object syndrome - it never ends well and can destroy whatever political goodwill that enabled you to begin this journey in the first place. 

The solution begins through convening and defining a ‘north star’ to drive goals, KPIs and shared definitions of success. Asset map existing initiatives - none of us are starting from zero here - but connecting the dots is the only way to maximize impact, learn from each other and stop reinventing the wheel. Finally, show buy-in via a commitment to dedicated resources. 

So pick a swim lane that represents the highest and best use of talents and strengths then help knit together the pieces into a whole that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Create a plan and dive (sometimes a bit blindly) deeply and quickly into execution. Measure the results and adapt as needed. Rinse and repeat.

The recognition and humility represented by Bill Nye's immortal words is a critical step in driving innovation and the secure future of regions that increasingly must identify as a single unit.  

Collaboration sounds simple, but is rarely easy. These are complex challenges with complex solutions. Create a structure and (responsibly) trust the process. Lead in creating regions that knit together at the state level and beyond. This is our mission, this is for the next generation, this is the time. 

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 Jennifer Sanders is the Cofounder and Executive Director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance, with the 2020 mission kickstarting the North Texas Innovation Alliance to convene and execute a smart regional strategy and solutions that cross borders and sectors. Follow the journey at @JenHabicht and @DallasSmartCity

DIA 2019 Year in Review and 2020 Preview

In 2019, the DIA saw initiatives grow across the city from the downtown core to Southern Dallas where Phase II initiatives are getting ready to get ‘on the road’ this spring.

Our focus continues to be on leveraging data, technology and community to improve quality of life and address challenges facing Dallas and its residents. 2019 offered many opportunities to drive this mission forward, through the support of the city of Dallas, our partners, and our friends and neighborhoods throughout the city of Dallas. This year we welcomed new partners into the DIA, and are so grateful to work with them and their teams on projects zeroing in on closing the digital divide and ‘homework gap’, creating STEM experiential learning environments, innovation in mobility, data accessibility, and serving the ‘digital citizen’.

In the West End Smart Cities Living Lab, measurement of the 10 projects deployed in our corridor continued to gather longitudinal data, and additional projects came to fruition, including “Dallas Alley Reimagined” the activation of the metal arches lining the underpass dividing two the West End and Victory Park neighborhoods. Bringing additional connectivity for all modes of travel is a key desired outcome in building a smart city that responds to the needs of our neighbors and visitors.

We were honored to support the City of Dallas Parks & Recreation department, Parks for Downtown Dallas, Downtown Dallas Inc. and James Corner Field Operations on the design of the West End Square ‘smart park’. This park will infill a surface parking lot, providing green space that serves the neighborhood and focuses on a smart park as one with Smart Materials, Smart Operations and Smart Experiences. The Innovation Arcade component of the park will allow for rotating installations of new technology, interactive art and additional experiential opportunities for visitors. This week was the groundbreaking of the park, which should be completed in January 2021.

Our work on Phase II efforts in South and Southern Dallas picked up steam, with lots of conversations and partnerships with organizations in the area about needs around mobility, public safety, and digital access and inclusion. We’re chomping at the bit to get some of these projects ‘on the road’ in the first half of 2020! Two mobility projects serving job seekers to seniors are coming together, more details on these coming soon! 

Nonprofits often struggle with accessing and interpreting the data they desperately need to write grant applications, track performance and report out. A prototype tool to simplify access to key data sets is being put together in partnership with the State Fair of Texas, Dallas Baptist University and local expert data volunteers.

Coming in 2020, our mobile learning lab will provide Wi-Fi access, on-board tutoring, programming and beyond in the afternoon and evening hours to help close the homework gap, and provide a place to visit to take care of job applications, continuing education, water bills and more. Workshops on financial and digital skills - including how to keep your identity safe online - will be held on a regular basis for young and old alike.

We are grateful to our Phase II partners for their support of these projects, including: AT&T, Capital One, Cisco, Meadows Foundation, Netsync, Santander Consumer Foundation, the State Fair of Texas, and Toyota.

Further to the critical topic of digital inclusion, this year we were grateful to work with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and their brilliant subject matter expert Jordana Barton on the Digital Inclusion Summit in the fall, with the goal outcome of creating a multi-disciplinary coalition focused on closing the digital divide via breaking barriers to access, affordability and training. The summit was standing room only, comprised of public officials, community groups, educational institutions from Pre-K through PhD, nonprofit organizations, EDCs, private sector, philanthropic institutions, startup incubators and beyond. All are committed to finding their part to play in solving one of the greatest challenges of our - and the next - generation. We’re excited to see what develops and progresses in 2020.

DIA Community

This year, DIA’s events brought together nearly 1000 members of the community. At our monthly Munch & Learns, we heard from leaders including the City of Dallas’ Comprehensive Environment and Climate Action Plan leadership, Alan Cohen of the Child Poverty Action Lab, Summer Wright-Collins of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s C1 Innovation Lab, TheMap.io’s Robert Mundinger, Stephen Duong of AECOM talking Hyperloop and Uber Elevate and The Innov8te Smart Cities Incubator Cohort Companies. We were able to partner with TalkSTEM on a WalkSTEM experiential video walking tour of the West End highlighting how science and design is present everywhere you look!

In 2020, the DIA is focused on four main areas - first, Phase II execution in Southern Dallas, second, continuing to work with the Federal Reserve Bank and key organizations to formally launch a Dallas Digital Inclusion Alliance and get to work to bring access, affordability and training for all our residents and pioneer models to execute methods to accomplish this from a collaboration, financial and policy perspective. Third, targeted topical convening on critical issues on cybersecurity and privacy - how do we bring peers together to learn and discuss needs, challenges and solutions for our region? Finally, we’re excited to move forward in supporting the creation of a regional initiative as a natural next step in providing a smart region - bringing a secure, efficient and resilient future for citizens, where quality of life is key, and a recognition that geographic boundaries are less and less relevant.

North Texas Innovation Alliance

In Dallas-Fort Worth, more than 40 percent of residents live and work in different counties within the metroplex. When those counties operate on disparate systems, whether emergency services, traffic signals, mass transit and so many others, we all suffer. 

While enviable in many ways, as we address the impact of 360 people per day moving to DFW, we must address the region as a whole if we want that growth to be sustainable environmentally and operationally. Boundaries are irrelevant - and crossing them is critical.

There are innumerable opportunities to find success in regional collaboration utilizing best practices in data, technology, sustainability, land use, and service delivery, but the first step is the establishment of entities that drive strategy, commitment to collaboration and execution. Public, private, civic and academic institutions all play critical roles; which is why forming an entity to align and unite these stakeholders has been found to be a best practice. 

2020 is another critical year to continue to progress with creativity, innovation and collaboration to create new solutions to existing challenges and create opportunities and a strong future. Stay tuned, get involved where you’re passionate, and let’s rock and roll!