The fourth Open House under the DivAirCity Twinning Programme, held on the 20th of February 2025, focused on “Citizens’ apps”, a topic which several Twin Cities mentioned as interesting and relevant for their work. Hosted by AUTH and BlockInt, the session offered the opportunity for Twin Cities to find out more about the DivAirCity dApp, its replication potential, how it came to be, and to share with the Consortium and other cities their digital tools to engage with citizens and their future plans.
Main points of discussion:
- Technology for urban sustainability: BlockInt presented how cutting-edge technologies such as big data, blockchain, IoT, and AI, can be used to enhance trust, governance and participation in cities to deliver NBS and sustainable solutions.
- DivAirCity dApp: AUTH presented through a short video the DivAirCity dApp, which allows cities to reward sustainable behaviours of citizens through tokens than can be used in the city. The app is based on blockchain technology to ensure user privacy.
- Public–private partnerships: both the organisers and participants expressed the importance of collaboration between public and private entities for the success of these apps. While some services can be provided by the city or by NGOs, the private sector’s involvement is crucial for the application’s viability and sustainability. Cities could motivate private businesses to offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use the application, thereby increasing their customer base. A business model that outlines the application’s income and expenses is essential.
- Potential for replication: while the dApp can be currently only used in the five DivAirCity pilot cities, the Consortium offered the opportunity to a group of interested Twin Cities to replicate the app in their local context.
Main Lessons Learnt:
- Creating a common ground: in spite of the technical nature of the meeting, offering a short introduction to the key concepts needed to understand how the app works ensured a common ground between participants, fostering participation.
- Potential replication: Twin Cities seem to be very interested in replicating the outcomes of DivAirCity project.
- Interactive session: the use of interactive polls and videos facilitated the active participation of the audience.
