Digital Social Markets: Exploring the Opportunities and Impacts of Gamification and Reward Mechanisms in Citizen Engagement and Smart City Services

Abstract

The Digital Social Market (DSM) is a service which incentivises citizen engagement amongst the context of sustainably oriented city services. The approach aims to shift perceptions and behaviours towards city sustainability goals by providing reward mechanisms in exchange for continued and enhanced citizen engagement. There are many forms and examples of incentive mechanisms in existence; however, this approach is unique as it aims to form a value chain which places social and citizen needs first; the DSM is driven by the needs of the city, of fostering meaningful connections with citizens to catalyse change, not profit. By adopting this approach, the outcome is a set of services that aim to facilitate a stronger connection between city and citizen, empowering the latter to take an active role in participating in the collective future of their urban spaces. The DSM framework has been designed and implemented in partnership with three of the most advanced European lighthouse cities: Lisbon, London and Milan. In each location, the project has adopted a different focus such as mobility, domestic energy management or community cohesion. In addition to this, each city model includes a different social component such as schools or local charities, who also benefit from citizen involvement. This social dimension has brought significant complexity but also a great deal of learning around the value of community engagement in the development and deployment of smart city services. The approach to the DSM includes an online and offline component, both of which have been developed through an array of service design methodologies. This approach has enabled the project partners to start at the very beginning of the challenge, co-creating each aspect of the service together. The Digital Social Market is one of the ten measures developed as part of the European Commission Horizon 2020 funded programme Sharing Cities. Launched in 2016, the programme, which involves 35 partners across seven countries, will conclude in December 2020.