Citizen-oriented innovations: key learnings

Webinar

14 March 2025

By Platform

On 11 March 2025, the Policy Learning Platform Experts organised a webinar titled "Citizen-Oriented Innovations" to discuss how digital transformation can be leveraged to create more inclusive, efficient, and citizen-centric public services.

The event, attended by more than 100 participants, featured insightful presentations on service design methodologies, smart city initiatives, and the importance of co-creation within public administrations. B

Key messages shared by the speakers

Ilaria Mariani (Politecnico di Milano - Italy) emphasised that public services should be designed with and for citizens. She highlighted the importance of human-centred design and the integration of digital tools to improve accessibility and engagement. Her approach included co-creation and experiential learning methodologies to ensure solutions are practical and not only tech-oriented but responsive to real needs. She recommended using pilot projects and experimentation exercises to test solutions.
Michał Rzeźnik (City of Poznań_- Poland) showcased the Smart City Poznań initiative, which integrates an Open Data Platform and the Smart City Poznań App to enhance urban life. Key features include real-time public transport tracking, an events agenda, a digital cemetery search engine, and waste collection reminders. Michał stressed that leveraging data can lead to more efficient governance and better services for residents and catering for different demographic groups – young and old alike.
Gwennaëlle Costa Le Vaillant (Île-de-France Region - France) introduced the Smart Platform 2030, which serves as a foundation for a digitally inclusive and better-connected region. The platform promotes public-private partnerships and participatory budgeting, also enabling residents to actively shape regional policies and initiatives. She underlined the importance of data aggregation, potential AI integration, and territorial intelligence to improve regional service delivery.

Webinar recording

Webinar agenda

Navigate the agenda below to the topic of your interest.

This webinar was designed and moderated by Laura Varisco and Marc Pattinson, Thematic Experts for a Smarter Europe.

00:00:58 Introduction by Laura Varisco and Marc Pattinson, Thematic Experts for a Smarter Europe.

00:16:36 Keynote presentation by Ilaria Mariani, Assistant Professor at the Department of Design of the Politecnico di Milano, on Co-creation, co-design, and the supportive role of technology in public administration and policymaking.

00:31:33 Q&A: Are there any techniques for going beyond the usual Community groups that the local authorities would be working with?

00:34:28 Presentation on Open Data Smart City Poznan Application – Urban Data Integrator, by Michał Rzeźnik, City of Poznan, Poland, OD4GROWTH

00:44:21 Q&A: What are the trends and the feelings on the user journey for more downloads?

00:45:29 Q&A: Do you generate any revenue through the application or is the funding entirely from public sources?

00:44:46 Presentation on The Digital, smart, sober and inclusive Smart Services Platform for Paris Region, by Gwennaelle Costa le Vaillant, Ile de France Region, France, CDREUROPE

00:56:54 Q&A: On one slide, I noticed a sun icon in the top right corner labelled "Premium Services," which usually suggests paid or differentiated services. Could you clarify what that refers to?

00:58:05 Panel discussion and closing remarks

Key learnings

Human-centred approaches – Public services should be designed with and for citizens, integrating human-centred design, co-creation, and experiential learning to ensure solutions are practical, accessible, and responsive to real needs.
Digital inclusion and participatory governance – Platforms like Smart Platform 2030 demonstrate the value of public-private partnerships, participatory budgeting, and citizen engagement in shaping regional policies, fostering inclusivity, and enhancing service delivery.
Overcoming stakeholder resistance – Engaging stakeholders in digital transformation requires dynamic governance models with committed political support, and structured methodologies like design thinking and iterative testing to address resistance to change and ensure citizen participation.
Collaborative governance and feedback loops – Involving citizens, businesses, and policymakers in service innovation builds trust, increases transparency, and ensures continuous improvement through citizen feedback mechanisms that enhance responsiveness and adaptability.

The webinar, moderated by Policy Learning Experts Laura Varisco and Marc Pattinson, concluded with a call to action for policymakers to embrace adaptability, experiment with new technologies through pilots, and foster inclusive, human-centric digital participation.