Innovation Accelerator to Make Portuguese Parishes Smarter

Abstract

The main motivation behind this study was the need to get citizens and parish councils closer. For this purpose, an innovation accelerator to bring smartness to parishes was built. To get all insight, there was the need to learn more about public administration, smart cities and a bit more on innovation and creativity. During the research process was also understood that smartness inside a parish must include an improvement on the relationship with citizens, citizens who feel that their opinions count, citizens training to promote digital inclusion and also for parish employees to make sure that their processes are more citizen-centered, and an improvement of citizens quality of living inside the parish. Those issues were addressed in the final model. The obtained model was validated by a focus group and it was concluded that the implementation of the proposed framework in a Portuguese parish is aligned with what parishes want for them in the near future.

Co-creation of local gastronomy for regional development in a slow city

“…At this time, there was a council for the division of the territory in bishoprics, which created the first Portuguese parishes, including Oculis Calidarum, i.e. "Caldas" of Vizela, one of the current parishes of the municipality (Vizela, 2017).…”

“…At the foundation of Portugal as an independent kingdom in 1361, King Dom Pedro I granted his son Prince John I (son of Pedro and Inês de Castro) the lands of Riba Vizela, formerly known as Vizela. Thus, from 1361-1408, it was a county with administrative independence (Vizela, 2017). Later, the territory of Vizela was integrated into the territory of Guimarães, remaining subordinate to this city for several centuries recognised status as a village from the year 1929.…”