Citizen Dialog Kit – Local lens on hangout spots through interactive displays

Challenge: Bruges: How to engage young migrants in city planning?

Target Group: Youth, Migrants

Citizen Dialog Kit makes wireless survey devices with push buttons that make it easy to collect feedback in public spaces. They run on batteries for months and can be placed anywhere. For this project in Bruges, we installed two devices in a local sports park to learn more about who visits the park, how it is used today, and what people feel is missing. Citizen Dialog Kit worked closely with the city youth department on this project.

The goal was to hear from youth and youth with a migration background. In 4.5weeks, the devices collected 502 complete responses. Over half of the respondents were under 18, and almost 25 percent said they speak a language other than Dutch at home.

The results give the city clear input from a group that is often hard to reach. The city can now use this data to guide future investments and co-design efforts, ensuring the park evolves in line with the needs and preferences of its diverse, young user base.

Howest – Vital Cities – YET (Youth environment & Engagement tool) app augmented by generative AI

Challenge: Bruges: How to engage young migrants in city planning?

Target Group: Youth, Migrants

The YET pilot in Bruges addresses the challenge of engaging young migrants in city planning by enhancing an existing digital platform that enables youth to visualize and share ideas for public space redesign. The project’s main objective is to empower youth, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to participate in urban planning by allowing them to create digital collages of their ideal public spaces. The pilot integrates generative AI, enabling users to transform public space images using natural language prompts, thus broadening creative possibilities beyond pre-set in-app elements.

Co-creation activities have included design thinking workshops, iterative user testing, and ongoing community engagement to ensure the platform reflects the needs and aspirations of its target group. Around 60 people were involved in the co-creation activities, 25% of whom were representative of the marginalised group in question. Workshops in schools and youth organisations facilitate hands-on experience and feedback collection, fostering a sense of ownership among participants.

Results to date indicate a potential increase in engagement and the generation of diverse, actionable insights for city planners. The pilot’s next steps include further AI integration, expanded user testing, and the development of partnerships for broader dissemination and sustainability. The project aims to finalise all pilot activities by June 2025, with continuous improvement driven by user feedback and collaboration with local stakeholders.

XS2Content (XS2AUDIO BV) – UrbanEcho Avatars

Challenge: Bruges: How to engage young migrants in city planning?

Target Group: Youth, Migrants

The Urban Echo Avatars pilot developed a system for creating avatar-based video messages designed to engage youth in Bruges. The avatars use language and expressions familiar to the local youth community, aiming to improve communication between public services and young residents.

The solution generates short, customised video clips that present information, support, and reflective content in a relatable and accessible manner. By using digital avatars that mirror the speech and style of the target audience, the pilot seeks to connect more effectively with youth’s everyday experiences.