An urban innovation programme, the first project of its type in the United Kingdom and internationally, has searched for innovative solutions that address two important challenges that Sheffield faces: making the city centre more dynamic and increasing the autonomy of citizens in situations of dependence. Sheffield Smart Lab was launched in summer 2015, calling out to entrepreneurs and innovators across the world who had forward-thinking solutions to the challenges faced by Sheffield currently and in the decades to come. The origin of the project was to work together to address city challenges. A short list of city-wide challenges was developed and narrowed to two by a diverse set of city stakeholders: making the city centre more dynamic and increasing the autonomy of citizens in situations of dependence.
