Collaboration for trust – How cities build innovation from the ground up

Innovative cities depend on numerous factors: from technology and efficiency to financial feasibility and a decent return on investment.

However, the innovation that truly drives inclusive change begins when stakeholders across public and private sectors, and the community, decide what to build, understand why it matters and who it serves, together.

This year, the Global Partnership for Local Investment, an initiative of the World Economic Forum in collaboration with UN-Habitat, recognized three public-private collaborations at the Urban Transformation Summit on 21 October 2025.

The winners were recognized for their groundbreaking work in Harar, Ethiopia, to manage plastic waste sustainably; in Kigali, Rwanda, to advance green affordable housing; and in Jersey City, United States, to deliver equitable digital health solutions.

In each case, transformation began with a shared commitment towards inclusive progress and was realized by building trust through transparency, responsiveness and tangible results. In turn, this trust fosters growth, scale and continuous innovation.

Amid Harar’s long-standing challenge of plastic pollution, despite possessing limited recycling infrastructure, the city became host to an ambitious circular-economy partnership.

In 2024, the Harar City Administration launched a 10-year public-private partnership with Ethiopian startup Kubik to make Harar the first plastic-waste-free city within three years.

The city contributed land, supportive policies and its cleaning workforce to the collection network. Kubik provided investment, technology and a local facility that converts hard-to-recycle plastics into low-carbon building materials.

Collected plastics are transformed into building materials such as panels, bricks, and beams designed to be cheaper and less polluting. They are used for public projects, including the LILY Public Library, the world’s first library built entirely from recycled plastic.

Over 600 women now earn income as registered suppliers, selling sorted plastics directly to Kubik through a guaranteed purchase programme. Many have quadrupled their earnings, supporting their families, cooperatives and children’s education.

“The tens of thousands of women who keep cities like Harar clean are what drives us to do our part to give them a dignified way to work and live,” said Kidus Asfaw, CEO of Kubik.

For example, one woman, Dunya, once brought in nearly 75 kilograms of plastic a day. “But what truly sets her apart is her heart,” says Asfaw. “After adopting eight children, she built a cooperative, recruited other women waste pickers and became a powerful advocate for the support they need to thrive. Her journey shows what’s possible when we invest in community.”

The results are self-evident: 75% of Harar’s daily plastic has been diverted from landfill, 200 new jobs have been created, and nearly 700,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions have been avoided.

Kubik’s digital traceability system tracks every kilogram collected, while city bylaws promote fairness and inclusion. Revenues from the programme will be reinvested in local infrastructure, turning Harar’s waste challenge into a transparent, circular economy that benefits all.

In Jersey City, innovation wasn’t the problem; it was ensuring it reached those who needed it most. Despite rapid advances in healthcare technology, underserved residents continued to face barriers to access.

A programme within the SciTech Scity innovation campus, developed by Liberty Science Center, the engine helps design, test and scale effective, accessible and sustainable digital health solutions. Rather than starting with technology, partners asked what residents and clinicians needed, co-designing pilot programmes in real clinical and community settings.

One early pilot connected uninsured residents to follow-up care after emergency visits. Results were striking, with high double-digit drops in ER return visits and hospital readmissions. Access to primary and specialty care also expanded.

Outside of efficiency, these outcomes demonstrate the impact of design built around people. Patients receive personalized reminders, community health workers visit homes and technology strengthens, not replaces, human relationships.

For example, a woman with a high-risk pregnancy and no insurance was connected to the care she needed through the pilot and is today on track for a safe delivery.

“We’re inspired by the wave of innovation reshaping our economy but we also recognize that some of the most vital areas for human well-being, like healthcare, have lagged behind,” said Alexander Richter, executive director of SciTech Scity.

The Engine plans to run up to a dozen pilots annually, addressing challenges from chronic disease to maternal health while nurturing a local innovation ecosystem. Each is co-designed for real-world adoption, with input from providers, payers and community partners, while startups, students and clinicians refine tools in real time.

In Kigali, Rwanda, the city’s rapid urbanization has led to a growing housing gap, pricing many working families out of formal, climate-resilient housing.

The Bwiza Riverside Homes project – a Rwandan government project with housing organization ADHI Corp – is rooting affordable, sustainable living through policy-aligned purpose.

The Rwandan government has provided land and infrastructure, while ADHI invested in modular technology and a factory producing local steel frames, doors and light concrete components.

An on-site academy certifies young Rwandans – 40% women – in green construction skills. And by employing 100% local labour and engaging small- and medium-sized enterprises in sourcing, the project created 1,000 jobs, including apprenticeships.

In its first phase, 247 homes were completed, most bought by first-time owners, with each advanced certified (IFC EDGE) for energy and water efficiency, lowering utility costs and embodied carbon. The project incorporates sponge city design and upon completion, is expected to consist of over 2,000 units.

Two thousand more homes are due to come online in five years, with the Bwiza model already inspiring replication in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda and Zambia.

According to Hassan Adan Hassan, CEO of ADHI Africa Holding LTD: “Delivering Phase 1 of Bwiza Riverside Homes taught us to trust the process. Developers shouldn’t shy away from green innovation.” When the public sector provides the right enabling conditions, collaboration becomes a catalyst, he adds.

Beyond numbers, Bwiza is reshaping urban life in Kigali. Green spaces, retail and childcare facilities foster community engagement, while its mixed-income design – 62% affordable and 38% market-rate – creates a vibrant, inclusive neighbourhood. Families once facing precarious housing now own stable, efficient homes near the city centre.

Across these cities, innovation is built through cross-sector collaboration – people solving real problems in real places, earning trust through inclusion, transparency and follow-through.

In Harar, every recycled plastic bottle denotes shared commitment. In Jersey City, every patient better connected to care illustrates how trust multiplies. In Kigali, each Bwiza home reflects environmental resilience and economic dignity.

These projects also reveal a deeper truth: collaboration, done right, doesn’t just solve one problem; it changes how people solve the next one. Trust built through shared action then becomes a foundation for continuous progress.