How Salt Lake City is closing the digital divide, supporting entrepreneurship, and tackling climate change as it experiences fast growth

Kazi Awal/Insider

• Salt Lake City is growing rapidly. Now city officials are using innovations to control the impact.
• New initiatives include creating a digital-inclusion plan and combating climate change in the state.
• The University of Utah's Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is also working to fund local projects.

Since taking office in 2020, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has debuted several initiatives, including streamlining the city's business operations, creating a digital-inclusion blueprint, and starting to tackle the effects of climate change. Her goal is to create a "culture of innovation" in the city.

"We're really leaning on the concept of change management," Nole Walkingshaw, the city's chief innovation officer, told Insider. "We're recognizing the elements that are required to change. We're clearly identifying our goals and objectives and building a plan around those."

Salt Lake City and the state of Utah have been growing rapidly. Walkingshaw said innovation is needed to balance the impact of that growth and create equal opportunities for residents. "This transformation requires us to step up our ability to serve the community. Our traditional service models need to evolve," he said.

Here's a look at the ways Salt Lake City is investing in innovation and digital transformation to meet the challenges of the future.