How can Living Labs support meaningful engagement with marginalised groups?
Join us for this online session, co-organised by @CommuniCityEU & @LivinginEU, to explore real-life case studies from three cities.
🎯 For city officers, NGOs, researchers & community partners
📍 Online | 💬 Presentations + Panel Discussion
CommuniCity’s 100 real-life pilots are evaluated by top experts who gather feedback from diverse stakeholders to understand how new services and technologies function in practice and to assess their real-world impact. These pilots in urban environments offer cities valuable hands-on experience for better planning, while helping businesses refine solutions based on actual performance and user needs.
The pilots foster real-life interactions, with a particular focus on the use of digital initiatives and digital transformation to support marginalised groups within communities. Agile in nature, these pilots take place in living lab settings, where real-life spaces serve as laboratories to test ideas and generate insights.
Launched in August 2024, CommuniLab is a dynamic online platform that promotes mutual learning through capacity-building, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among cities, technology providers, local communities, and other stakeholders. The platform is continuously updated with materials and insights generated through the pilots and partners’ activities.
CommuniLab engages a wide range of stakeholders through the quadruple helix approach, which includes government bodies, industry, academia, and civil society. Each of these groups plays a crucial role in driving innovation and addressing societal challenges. Government institutions provide the necessary regulatory frameworks and infrastructure; businesses contribute expertise and market-oriented solutions; academic institutions generate new knowledge and train future innovators; and civil society organisations and citizens ensure innovation efforts are inclusive and community-centred.
CommuniLab is structured into three main sections:
Each section hosts a range of resources and tools designed to facilitate knowledge exchange, collaboration, and dissemination of the project’s outcomes.
This section offers educational and developmental resources to enhance skills and understanding. It includes:
This section gathers both project-generated and external resources that support CommuniCity’s pilots and other similar initiatives. It includes:
This section is open to all stakeholders involved in co-creating technological solutions with regional impact, including city administrations, technology providers, and pilot managers. It focuses on promoting community-driven innovation and includes:
By bringing together diverse perspectives, CommuniLab creates a collaborative ecosystem that supports sustainable development, empowers communities, and informs policy at both local and European levels.
Event location: Porto Innovation Hub
July 2nd, 2025
Largo do Dr. Tito Fontes 15, 4000-538 Porto, Portugal
This conference will highlight the project’s key outcomes, learnings and innovative solutions to urban challenges faced by cities. The CommuniCity Final Event will bring together project partners, city representatives, policymakers, researchers and innovators to discuss and shape the future of European cities.
The event will be held in a hybrid format. Therefore, participants can join either online or in person at Porto Innovation Hub. Please note that there are a limited number of in-person seats available.
Register now to secure your spot!
10.00 Welcome coffee
10.30 Opening words (start of the online event)
10:40 CommuniCity: Paving the Way for Inclusive Cities
10:50 CommuniCity building more inclusive cities – Case examples
11.50 Key learnings and takeaways from the cities
12.40 Deputy Mayor of Porto, Filipe Araújo – Why are more inclusive cities even more important in the future?
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Key learnings and takeways from the Hosts
14.50 Research findings and future recommendations
15.10 Empowering European cities: From Living Labs to pratical tools
16.10 Closing words (End of the online conference)
16:20 Wordshops on co-creation methodologies
17:40 Drinks and networking
Skendy is an AI-powered solution developed during the Second Round of Open Calls for the cities of Amsterdam and Prague, aimed at addressing the administrative challenges often faced by immigrants and refugees. The solution adapts an existing technological platform to meet the specific needs of these groups. Skendy simplifies bureaucratic processes by translating, organizing, and setting reminders for important documents, such as government letters and utility bills.
Skendy was designed to improve support for immigrants and refugees through a user-friendly mobile app. A demo version tailored for refugees was developed in collaboration with refugee representatives to ensure the platform effectively met their specific needs. Key developments include a redesigned user interface and the integration of an AI-powered chatbot, which serves as the app’s central feature. The chatbot provides personalized assistance and access to a comprehensive knowledge base, specifically for users in Amsterdam and Prague.
Co-Creation in Action
The piloting phase included an event in Prague that played a crucial role in testing and refining the solution, based on feedback from expat participants. This pilot involved over 40 hours of co-creation sessions with expats, refugees, stakeholders like IAMSTERDAM, students, and local communities in both Amsterdam and Prague. The objective was to identify and address the unique challenges faced by these groups with practical, user-centric solutions.
Impact and Next Steps
The pilot yielded positive results, including strong community engagement, a user-friendly interface, and the successful integration of an AI assistant. It also led to the recruitment of new talent to support growth. Next steps include refining the app based on feedback, continuing service improvements, and expanding Skendy globally to other cities. The solution also supports sustainability by promoting document digitization and recycling, aligning with the Green Deal Initiative.
The CommuniCity pilots from the Third Round of Open Calls are currently running and will continue until May 2025.
Making healthy life choices can be challenging for young people. In response to the City of Breda’s challenge during the Second Round of Open Calls, AR-GO Lab Oy developed a safe, interactive metaverse space to promote youth mental wellbeing. The ILI metaverse offers reliable information, support, and advice for young people navigating difficult situations.
ILI includes themed rooms with youth-focused content, animations based on real-life scenarios, and an AI assistant to answer questions. It also encourages users to explore their city, discover new hobbies, and lead more active lives. The solution was adapted to the target audience, including Dutch language support, and is freely available online. It can be used independently or with the guidance of a youth worker, for example during counselling.
Co-Creation in Action
ILI was co-created with youth workers and young people from the Netherlands and Finland through:
Impact and Next Steps
ILI’s features can support future youth-focused challenges and campaigns. The solution will be presented to city youth departments and organisations across Europe, involving young people in ongoing testing and development. More animations and content will be added, and AI will help make ILI available in all major European languages.
CommuniCity’s Third Round of Pilots runs until the end of May 2025.
In today’s digital age, individuals with disabilities continue to encounter significant challenges when it comes to communication. Traditional communication devices often fail to adequately address their needs, leaving a gap in inclusivity and accessibility. Ai2Ai Oy has developed PALL0, an innovative solution that offers a tactile, interactive alternative. By merging physical interaction with digital communication, PALL0 provides a more inclusive experience for users, empowering them to communicate in new ways.
PALL0 was developed as part of the Second Round of Open Calls, addressing the CommuniCity initiative’s challenge: How can digital innovation improve the quality of life for people with disabilities?
The development process included five highly successful co-creation events, which played a critical role in shaping and testing the solution. These events brought together stakeholders, including individuals from the target group, in a collaborative and open environment. This inclusive approach allowed for the exchange of feedback, ensuring that the solution was user-centred and effective. The cooperative effort paved the way for a more impactful solution.
Co-Creation as Key to the Solution
A total of 20 individuals from the target group actively participated in the co-creation events, providing essential insights into the pilot’s usability. Their input helped assess key features such as user-friendliness, accessibility, adaptability, communication effectiveness, sensory appropriateness, and practicality. This approach proved invaluable in ensuring the solution met the specific needs of users.
By directly involving people with disabilities in the solution’s creation, PALL0 was able to bridge the gap between technology and the challenges faced by these individuals. During all the open call rounds, CommuniCity cooperates with tech providers, cities, and their residents to develop technology solutions, overcoming digital, urban, and social challenges faced by various vulnerable and marginalised communities.
The CommuniCity pilots from the Third Round of Open Calls continue running until the end of May 2025.
Household environments play a crucial role in human health and well-being. The PortoSense project, led by Fraunhofer Portugal Research, was selected in CommuniCity’s Second Open Call to develop an innovative digital solution aimed at improving thermal comfort and overall health quality in residential spaces.
A key aspect of PortoSense is its engagement with local communities, particularly in urban rehabilitation areas. The project involves collaboration with residents through focus groups to identify needs, evaluate sensing systems, and share best practices for home comfort and energy efficiency. By integrating human-centred design principles, the project prototyped a digital recommendation system that provides passive solutions for enhancing indoor living conditions.
“We worked on the PortoSense project to develop an application that could empower people to improve their thermal comfort through information and recommendations,” said Ana Vasconcelos, one of the researchers involved in the initiative.
Beyond technology, PortoSense is fostering behavioural change. One resident involved in the project highlighted the impact, stating, “It was wonderful to be part of the project because it makes sense to adapt the house and fight against mould and anything that could make living here more difficult.”
By providing residents with accessible data and practical recommendations, PortoSense supports informed decision-making to improve home comfort and indoor environmental quality. The pilot demonstrates how small adjustments and awareness can lead to meaningful improvements in everyday living conditions, particularly in urban areas.
The CommuniCity pilots from the Third Round of Open Calls continue running until the end of May 2025.
Fostering the empowerment of long-term unemployed people, Kwizie is an innovative app that transforms passive video watching into interactive quiz games. By recognising, developing, and validating the user’s competencies, the initiative supports clients’ opportunities to pursue vocational or degree-targeted studies and improve their job search skills.
With the use of AI technology, Kwizie fosters informal learning. For example, one of the educational subjects is how to navigate the job market, such as employment laws, regulations, and practices. For many, work-life concepts can pose challenges, especially in written form. However, gamified learning can make the content more appealing, enhancing its understanding.
Supporting the city of Helsinki‘s Rehabilitative Work Activities department and the city of Tallinn‘s Welfare and Health Care Department, the solution eases their user’s transition from social services to employment or education, promoting social inclusion and reducing the barriers faced by this vulnerable group.
A deviation from the pilot plan changed the project’s aim. Addressing the challenge of digital inclusion amongst Tallinn’s unemployed citizens, the project shifted towards enhancing worker training, ensuring they are well-equipped to effectively support this vulnerable community.
Co-creation in action
Aiming to create a solution tailored to address the target group’s needs, collaborative methodology was a necessity. Engaging multiple stakeholders such as coaches, members of the target group, and other relevant parties, a total of 13 co-creation events were organised, which allowed:
Impact and future steps
Results from both cities showed Kwizie’s effectiveness in aiding learners to understand complex topics. The transformation of text-based educational materials into interactive video content proved highly effective. These positive outcomes highlight the tool’s potential to bridge the gap between informal learning and formal recognition of skills.
Highlighting the values of CommuniCity, as a cross-border pilot of the Second Round of Open Calls, this project underscores the value of co-creation between members of the target group and other stakeholders. Learn more about Kwizie here (In Finnish).
The CommuniCity pilots from the Third Round of Open Calls continue running until the end of May 2025.
For individuals with disabilities, navigating a city can be difficult, especially when accessibility data is outdated or incomplete. To tackle this challenge, CommuniCity launched a pilot in Helsinki and Tallinn during its second round of open calls, using crowdsourced mapping to enhance urban accessibility. This initiative was led in partnership with Riesa Consultative Oy and Crowdsorsa.
Co-Creation in Action
This initiative engaged city representatives, accessibility experts, and end-users in a collaborative process to map key accessibility features such as pedestrian crossings, pathways, and audio beacons. Participants used the Crowdsorsa mobile game to collect real-time data, ensuring that accessibility information was up to date and relevant to those who need it most.
Workshops played a crucial role in shaping the pilot. End-users and municipal stakeholders worked together to identify challenges, refine data collection methods, and propose improvements. Transparency and adaptability were key, allowing for real-time adjustments based on participant feedback.
Solution and Impact
The collected data provides cities with valuable insights to enhance accessibility planning and infrastructure. Key benefits include:
-A more inclusive approach to urban design based on real user experiences
-Improved data for municipal decision-making on accessibility measures
-Strengthened engagement between local governments and marginalised communities
While focused on individuals with disabilities, the pilot also benefits the wider public by making urban navigation easier for all. This initiative reinforces CommuniCity’s commitment to citizen-centred innovation, demonstrating how co-creation can drive meaningful urban improvements.
The Communicity pilots from the Third Round of Open Calls are currently running until the end of May 2025.
Did you know that 1.5 million people in the Netherlands are deaf or hearing-impaired? With this in mind, CommuniCity invited tech providers to explore ways to improve accessibility in public transport communication.
Fonetic responded to this challenge by developing a solution aimed at making public transportation more inclusive. Using AI technology, the app converts spoken public transport announcements into text messages in the user’s preferred language.
To better understand the challenges faced by the target group, research was conducted in collaboration with the deaf community. One of the co-creation sessions included both hearing-impaired volunteers and local policymakers.
By facilitating dialogue between tech developers and volunteers, the process helped create a prototype that addresses real-life difficulties in accessing transport information.
The developed tool enhances accessibility in public transportation and offers additional benefits, such as:
While designed for individuals with hearing impairments, the solution can also benefit the general public by improving access to public announcements.
Aligned with CommuniCity’s ethical approach, this pilot highlights how collaborative methods can lead to effective technological solutions. CommuniCity remains committed to supporting citizen-centred innovation to address digital, urban, and social challenges. The pilots from the Third Round of Open Calls will continue running until the end of May 2025.