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Ensuring city transformation through cooperation and coordination among role-players will require<br />

significant innovation and deviation from the status quo. The chapter recommends that in order to<br />

realise these outcomes <strong>cities</strong> need to develop and embed dynamic urban systems of innovations in<br />

the messy reality of urban life.<br />

An urban system of innovation is defined as interventions, processes and mechanisms to nurture the<br />

joined-up creativity of role-players to maximise a city’s problem-solving ability to realise economic,<br />

social and built environment transformation. In the South African context, an urban system of innovation<br />

cannot focus solely on economic growth and technological advancement; it also needs to consider<br />

innovation in relation to eradicating poverty and addressing inequality, governance, resource use,<br />

climate change and the myriad of challenges facing the <strong>cities</strong>. A dynamic system of innovation, while<br />

characterised by many different individual actions and projects, would need to be bedded down by an<br />

overarching common intent, which all role-players concerned would agree to. Associated to the intent<br />

would be a plan that would, in turn, drive the individual actions.<br />

306 State of South African Cities Report 2016

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