MiraMap: A We-Government Tool for Smart Peripheries in Smart Cities

Abstract

Increasingly over the last decade, there has been attention and expectations on the role that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions can play in increasing accountability, participation, and transparency in the public administration. In addition, attention to citizen participation is more and more at the center of the debate about smart cities. However, technological solutions have been often proposed without considering the first citizen's needs and the sociotechnical misalignment within the city, i.e., in peripheral area. This paper outlines the design and implementation process of a we-government IT tool, called MiraMap. The project has been developed in the Mirafiori District in Torino (Italy), a neighborhood, which is characterized by the problems of marginality and by several undergoing urban transformations with a very high potential for social and economic development in the next few years. This makes Mirafiori Sud a valuable case study environment to experiment new methods and IT solutions to strengthen the connection between citizens and public administration. The object of MiraMap, indeed, is to facilitate communication and management between citizens and administration in reporting of issues and claims but also in submitting proposals. Collecting and handling of this information in an efficient way are crucial to improve the quality of life in urban suburbs, addressing more targeted and better performed public policies. In order to achieve those results, we combined First Life, a new local social network based on an interactive map, with a business process management system for easing reports about claims and proposals to be handled. The research process involves an interdisciplinary team, composed by architects, computer scientists, engineers, geographers, and legal experts, with the direct participation of local administrators and citizens.INDEX TERMS Citizen engagement and smart governance, mobile crowdsensing for smart cities, modeling the social impact of smart technologies, case studies and testbeds for smart cities around the world, applied research in smart cities.

Integrating Different Data Sources to Address Urban Security in Informal Areas. The Case Study of Kibera, Nairobi

“…Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) also play a crucial role in crime prevention, by promoting more inclusive processes. The use of ICTs empowers citizens to act as decision-makers, by giving them the tools to consult and create reliable data about urban safety [28][29][30]. Examples of ICTs applications are voluntary mapping experiences such as Spatial Collective in the informal settlements of Nairobi [31], Miramap in Mirafiori Neighbourhood of Turin [28], Ushaidi during the post-election period in Nairobi [28,32], Emotional mapping in Olomouc, Czech Republic [33], Safetpin in the cities of Delhi, Bogota and Dhaka [34] and fixmystreet in the UK [35].…”

Quality of Citizen Reporting Tools at Municipal Level

“…Citizens will not use technology with poor performance, difficult to operate, with safety and privacy threats. Much of the research is therefore focused on the technology itself (Consoli et al, 2015;De Filippi et al, 2016;You et al, 2016). However, technology itself cannot ensure the satisfaction of users.…”

MiraMap: A Collective Awareness Platform to Support Open Policy-Making and the Integration of the Citizens’ Perspective in Urban Planning and Governance

“…Regarding web platforms and applications developed for residents of a neighbourhood or specific locality, we can differentiate three generations of technologies on the basis of their interactivity (De Filippi et al 2016).…”

“…The process expects to involve both citizens and the local administration in a report process of critical issues as well as positive trends and resources within the Mirafiori Sud district area, throughout the use of a digital platform made up of a geo-referenced map combined with a BPM-Business Process Management system (De Filippi et al 2016).…”