Scottsdale is a community focused on innovation. One of our community values is “Advance Innovation and Prosperity” and our employee values include “Thoughtful Innovation.”
History
Innovation has been part of Scottsdale’s history since shortly after incorporation in 1951 and continues today. Scottsdale innovations include architectural review in Old Town Scottsdale, automated trash collection, non-structural flood control solutions in the Indian Bend Wash greenbelt, residential fire sprinklers, the world’s largest municipally owned preserve, the use of crisis canines in the community and schools, and a facility that recycles water for irrigation and direct consumption.
Development Review Board
In the 1950s – At the very first Council meeting on July 3, 1951, the newly appointed councilmembers met and decided to require Western-type Buildings in Old Town Scottsdale. In 1953 they appointed an architectural review board to ensure adherence to design standards. That group continues as the Development Review Board. 
Godzilla
In the 1960s - Scottsdale pioneered modern trash pickup in the 1960s when city staff built a truck sporting a mechanical arm that grabbed and emptied containers at the command of the driver. Today we have a fleet of more than 50 fully automated trucks fueled by compressed natural gas serving our community. 
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Indian Wash Greenbelt
In the 1970s - Scottsdale’s flooding problem evolved into a community treasure in the 1970s through creation of the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt. Initially planned as a concrete-lined channel, residents and city planners instead came up with the system of parks and ponds that residents enjoy today. 
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Residential Sprinkler System Requirements
In the 1980s - Scottsdale pioneered the adoption of policies and design standards that require the installation of fire sprinkler systems in all new residential structures. This results in lives being saved and substantially less property loss, and in turn leads to lower property insurance premiums. 
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McDowell Sonoran Preserve
And in the 1990s, Scottsdale community members concerned about development destroying the mountains, worked together to form the organization now known as the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and worked with elected officials, staff and other citizens to fund, acquire and preserve the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve. 
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SkySong Innovation Center
In the 2000s, Scottsdale partnered with Arizona State University to create a high-tech innovation center, SkySong, designed to help companies grow through a unique partnership with nearby ASU. The location had been the home of Scottsdale’s first indoor mall, Los Arcos, but the mall had been abandoned, but today, SkySong is home to startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. 
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Police Crisis Canine Response Program
In the 2010s, the Scottsdale Police Department has continued thoughtful innovation through the crisis response canine program. Scottsdale was the first police department to roll out a police crisis canine program – with a golden retriever named Fozzie, then one of the first in Arizona to put them in a school setting. The dogs are trained to assist people experiencing anxiety or depression. They provide comfort to victims, calm high-stress situations and bridge gaps with students and community members. 
Advanced Water Treatment
In the 2020s, Scottsdale uses the Advanced Water Treatment Plant, one of the most sophisticated recycled water facilities in the world, to purify and reuse its water. This plant can treat up to 20 million gallons of water a day to a water quality standard that exceeds that of bottled water and was the third facility in the nation to be permitted for direct consumption. While the advanced purification water is not currently distributed in the drinking water system, it is an important water source for irrigation around the city. 
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Current Innovation Efforts
Scottsdale has an Innovation Team comprised of staff who conduct projects in various disciplines, including behavioral insights, data analytics, human-centered design, process improvement, and smart technologies. One of these projects was the Short-term Rental Resource Center, created by Scottsdale's Beacon Core Data Services Team, through the support of the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance was a winner in CompTIA Public Technology Institute's 2023 Solutions Awards.
Last Updated: Mar 25, 2025
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