The Role of Social Innovation in Addressing Urban Economic Disparities

This study examines the impact of social innovation strategies designed to transform the economic imbalance within cities. It investigates how social innovations together with cross sectorial collaboration solve the problems of income inequality, underemployment, and resource deprivation within metropolitan areas. This was conducted through a systematic literature review of scholarly literature published within the last five years alongside comparative case studies of social innovation executed in several metropolitan areas guided by a mixed methods approach. The nature of social innovation—focusing on inclusivity, participation, and systemic shift—makes it possible to not only alleviate, but also profoundly reshape deep economic inequity to foster equitable urban development instead. Above all, this study highlights the particular need for enabling environments as well as the suitable enabling legislation required to scale social innovations effectively.