Case Study Library

Six European partners are collaborating in the framework of the Interreg Europe Program for the implementation of DIALOG. The project has the objective of improving the effectiveness of innovative policies for regional competitiveness through the involvement of local stakeholders and citizens in policy and decision making processes. This involvement will be crucial to address common needs and face mid- and long-term challenges related to sustainable territorial development.

The EGTC GO represents an instrument to unlock cross-border potential for innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable growth. It promotes innovation in local governance through a supra-regional method to solve cross-border challenges - administrative and legal burdens – in order to provide concrete solutions for its territory and citizens. Flagship cooperation projects on Health, Culture and Social Innovation are key examples of the innovative added-value of the EGTC GO.

The initiative aims at overcoming poor-quality broadband in specific city neighbourhoods in the Reggio Emilia area by allowing access to the Metropolitan Area Network (the broadband network owned by the public administrations of Emilia-Romagna). The system was put in place through the instalment and operation of broadband wireless infrastructures by Neighbourhood Social Centres acting as broadband providers for citizens and businesses of their respective areas.

Libellula is a laboratory for civic monitoring of local public spending and a format to build and sustain a local civic monitoring coalition. The first lab is based in Messina, Sicily. Moving from monitoring a specific case, Libellula aims at building a civic multi-stakeholder coalition which, while monitoring, simultaneously cultivates skills and capabilities of those involved to advocate for transparent and collaborative public spending in order to address the misuse of public money.

In order to rebuild the relationship between the administration and its stakeholders, the Chamber of Commerce of the Italian city of Cosenza has initiated project #OpenCameraCosenza. To achieve this objective, #OpenCameraConsenza rearranged the organizational and communication structures and together with the legal representative, the communications team used different tools to reach the administration's stakeholders: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Aurasma app, Qr-codes and the website.

The Administration of Rome had to decide how to use about 17 million euros for public works in the territory of the VIII District for projects concerning the environment, landscape and public green spaces, sustainable mobility and accessibility, urban regeneration and infrastructure, ideas or proposals for transversal projects. The innovation concerns the decision-making approach. For the first time, city users were involved in deciding how to allocate these resources.

How can we enforce a public mobility law collectively? Openrampette rebuilt the broken relationship between the City Administration, private businesses and disadvantaged people by co-designing public places accessibility solutions, through the collective intelligence of a wider audience.

Laboratori di Quartiere has set up a stable model to link public resources with citizens, engaging them in proximity policy-making across Bologna’s districts. The objective is to shift from the paradigm of smart city to a collaborative “Augmented City”, requiring citizens to not just collaborate to the co-design of urban spaces instead to become responsible of the ongoing transformation.

Social Challenges Innovation Platform is a far-reaching European action aiming to create an online ecosystem encouraging the interaction between social innovators and SMEs for the co-development and take-up of sustainable and marketable innovations with clear social impact. Social Challenges Innovation Platform (financed by the European Commission under Horizon 2020) granted 81 social entrepreneurs with a total 2,5 million Euros to solve real challenges in different cities around Europe.

SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale, or Digital Identity System) is a solution for accessing public administration online services through once-only digital identity (user & password) generated by private Identity Providers. It can be used from any device (PC, tablet & smartphone) by citizens. SPID aims to improve the relationship between citizens & the public administration by expanding the digital approach in using public services.