Local Innovation Methodology for 12 Municipalities (OAS)

This methodology, “Redes de Colaboración para la Innovación Local,” was a joint publication between InnovaAP (University of Costa Rica) and The Trust for the Americas, published in 2018 with backing from the Organization of American States (OAS). I served as the project’s lead (Gestor del Proyecto) and co-author alongside a small team of colleagues, designing a practical, step-by-step guide local governments could use to build lasting collaboration networks between municipalities, civil society, and the private sector.

The methodology moves through four stages. Stage 0 starts with listening: collecting citizen stories through online surveys, in-person consultations, and templates adapted even for children, to surface the public problems that matter most to a community. Stage 1 identifies the actors around that problem and maps the relationships between them, building a core working group. Stage 2 runs a full design-thinking cycle, understanding the problem, field observation, defining a point of view, ideating with a value-proposition canvas, and prototyping, to turn the problem into concrete solutions. Stage 3 focuses on sustainability: formalizing alliances, building an action plan, and defining strategies to keep the network active once the project team moves on.

We deployed this methodology across 12 Costa Rican municipalities for the OAS Trust for the Americas, co-constructing each step with municipal teams to make sure the analytical capacity stayed local rather than staying with us. All 12 governments completed the process, and several went on to launch their own participatory planning processes and draft new local policies.