Derby, KS shares a small government’s path to innovation

In this podcast we have a frank discussion with Scott Knebel, City Planner for Derby, Kansas and Assistant City Planner, Everett Haynes, about the roadblocks to innovation in small local governments, something which should resonate with governments of all sizes.

Here at Govlaunch, our mission is to give a voice to even the smallest local government – to help them share their successes, the tools they’re using, and to discover what their peers (in comparably-sized local governments) are doing too.





Known for its robust recreational bike and walking trails, the small city of Derby, Kansas sits just outside of Wichita and is home to just over 22,000 people. While there is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the work underway in Derby – they aren’t experimenting with AI or deploying drones to support public safety efforts (at least not yet) – the city does paint a picture of the challenges small and even medium-sized local governments are facing globally.

Derby’s development has historically centered around the automobile, which has led to suburban sprawl made up of single family houses and a hand-full of aging strip malls. Derby has recently put into play a $ Vision Derby 2040$  Plan which aims to substantially improve the livability of their city - from safety to transportation to establishing more pockets of economic growth through development of park spaces and the communities surrounding them. Separately, they have a $ Walkability Plan$  underway to bring more walkable paths to connect various parts of the city.

Derby in this sense is very similar to most small to medium-sized communities in that their leaders recognize that the needs of their residents are changing quickly. More modes of transportation need to be made available, a vibrant downtown is needed to spur economic growth and to attract investment in the local economy, and more housing options must be made available to appeal to a wider demographic to name just a few.

In response, these local governments are now grappling with the need to modernize their development practices, involving zoning, regulation amendments, etc. They are also struggling with how to bring in available technology to help them better engage with and deliver services to their residents, and not just around development and planning - this is across the board.

Like so many in the wake of COVID-19, Derby is struggling to find more modern means of engagement, which goes far beyond city planning matters. While the restrictions on gatherings may be viewed as more short term, it is undeniable that engagement efforts must be made more digital if cities are aiming to be inclusive and equitable.

Due to Derby’s size, they aren't attending innovation conferences. They also don't have a large enough team to allocate resources to researching available technologies and possible partners. The move to more webinar-style marketing has certainly helped make technology solutions more accessible, but even this strategy is limited in that they are typically very vendor-driven and biased.

Knebel and Haynes have found themselves in an all too familiar situation for smaller local governments. The problem is clear, but the solution is much more elusive.

The technology needs are widespread - from cost-saving “smart” lighting to micro mobility solutions to digitizing more functions of government - and smaller local governments are being overlooked.

If you also struggle with innovation and need help finding what is possible for a local government of your size, search over 3500 innovation projects on $ Govlaunch$  and check out the rest of our podcast series to see what’s working where and the tools available to get your local government on the right path to innovation.podcast series to see what’s working where and the tools available to get your local government on the right path to innovation.$ podcast series$  to see what’s working where and the tools available to get your local government on the right path to innovation.