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The Scalable Cities expert report on Tackling barriers to citizen engagement examines why inclusive citizen engagement in European smart city projects often falls short and how to fix it. Drawing on eighteen SCC projects, a literature review, focus groups in Bari and Vilnius and online, stakeholder interviews, and a survey, it maps barriers from both institutional and community perspectives.
Using Arnstein’s Ladder, it finds participation concentrated at lower levels while trust, time, skills, and coordination gaps persist. Technical tools are underused without offline support, and vulnerable groups face added hurdles. Best practices from projects such as SPARCS, POCITYF, and RESPONSE show that living labs, co design workshops, hybrid methods, and local ambassadors can raise engagement.
The report recommends institutional mandates, sustained budgets, tailored approaches for different groups, capacity building, clear feedback loops, alignment with governance, and continuity beyond projects to embed meaningful participation in everyday city practice.