AI – CommuniCity

AR-GO lab Oy – ILI: piloting an AI-virtual companion for youth’s mental health support

AR-GO lab Oy – ILI: piloting an AI-virtual companion for youth’s mental health support

Challenge: Sant Boi de Llobregat: How can minors with mental health issues be supported?

Target Group: Youth

The ILI pilot in Sant Boi de Llobregat tested an AI-powered companion designed to support adolescent mental health. The objective was to evaluate its use in a school environment after localisation into Spanish and adaptation to three co-created topics: family relations, self-esteem, professional orientation, and career path.

Co-creation involved collaboration with a group of scholars and interviews with teachers and mental health professionals to define relevant themes, ensure ethical safeguards, and prepare for onboarding. The AI model was trained accordingly, and thirty students from a secondary school class were invited to test the solution by chat sessions with an AI-companion.

The pilot demonstrated strong initial engagement, but low participation rates in conversations with AI. Feedback from students and teachers emphasised the importance of adult guidance, cultural context, and a longer implementation period for meaningful integration. Competing digital tools and academic pressure at the end of the year created challenges for sustained use.

While the solution is technically ready, continued use requires improved onboarding, clearer safety protocols, and dedicated support from teachers or youth counselors. The platform is now available for free use by adolescents, and follow-up conversations have begun with four relevant stakeholders, including the IMPROVA research project. Future steps include further training of the AI model and co-development with institutions in the education and health sectors.

Platforma X-Action sp. z o.o. – Płock Connect: Empowering Immigrant Integration through Data-Driven Support

Platforma X-Action sp. z o.o. – Płock Connect: Empowering Immigrant Integration through Data-Driven Support

Challenge: Plock: How to empower Immigrants through targeted support tools?

Target Group: Migrants

Plock Connect addressed the challenge of helping non-Polish newcomers navigate municipal and third-sector services in Plock. The call objective was not full deployment but a TRL 3 proof-of-concept: a validated workflow, high-fidelity mock-up, and vendor-agnostic technical specification compliant with the first three Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC) Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs).

Six co-creation workshops formed the project’s backbone. City-hall units, NGOs, employers, and two immigrant cohorts jointly mapped service owners, built empathy maps, prioritised barriers, and, during a live sprint, sketched the app’s screens. Approximately 60 people were involved in the activities, with 33 being considered representative of the target group. Techniques included stakeholder grids, World Café, SCAMPER, and Six Thinking Hats. Usability testing in Workshop 6 confirmed the need for a single multilingual dashboard, minimal data capture, and an offline, printable checklist.

Deliverables comprise:

1. A clickable mock-up that demonstrates the seven top-level feature tabs agreed upon by users;

2. a functional–technical specification referencing NGSI-LD data models for future integration;

3. Evidence that most integration services already exist but lack a unified entry point.

BUILT CoLAB: Green Lessons: Educational and Awareness Program for the Circular Economy

BUILT CoLAB: Green Lessons: Educational and Awareness Program for the Circular Economy

Challenge: Matosinhos: How to promote environmental education in marginalized communities?

Target Group: Families, Youth

Green Lessons is a digital education pilot based in Matosinhos that combines immersive 360-degree video, an interactive game platform, and an AI-powered assistant to teach school-aged children about the circular economy and sustainability. The pilot focused on five key themes: water, energy, waste, mobility, and circular economy principles. The objective was to engage students in an accessible, interactive learning experience that complements classroom education. Co-creation played a central role since teachers, students, and the Municipality of Matosinhos collaborated in developing scripts, participating in the video production process, and providing feedback on the gameplay and platform features. Demonstration sessions were held in both primary and secondary schools to test the game and collect insights directly from users. 46 individuals from the school community of a vulnerable area participated in the activities. As a result, the pilot delivered a functioning educational platform, an AI chatbot tailored to student needs, and a complete series of gamified sustainability lessons. Feedback from participants helped refine the final product to be both age-appropriate and engaging. Next steps may include scaling the platform to other schools or municipalities and expanding the educational content with new themes.

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

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

image of digital platform that enables youth to visualize and share ideas for public space redesign.

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.

Rootcode OÜ – Urbanora

image of 5 people in Prague for presenting AI-powered report system

Rootcode OÜ – Urbanora

Challenge: Prague: How can the feedback gap between citizens and authorities be narrowed?

Target Group: General Population

This pilot, hosted by the Municipality of Prague, focused on developing an AI-powered urban issue reporting system designed to improve how urban issues are reported and handled. The core objective was to create a backend system that automatically classifies citizen-reported issues—submitted with images and descriptions—and routes them to the appropriate municipal departments. The system is intended for integration with existing platforms.

Co-creation was a central part of the process. Two sessions were conducted: one online with the product manager of an existing platform and OICT representatives using a semi-structured interview format, and a second in-person brainstorming session in Prague with the OICT team. These sessions helped validate the technical approach, shape system features, and align the solution with real-world workflows.

As a result, an open-source issue routing and classification system was developed, featuring automated classification using LLMs and image/text anonymization to meet user privacy standards. The system has been tested in a relevant environment and is ready for further refinement and integration.

LOTS OF IDEAZ SRL – LotzArt Community Connect: Simplifying access to Manchester’s inclusive activities

Welcome chat LotzArt - screenshot interface WhatsApp

LOTS OF IDEAZ SRL – LotzArt Community Connect: Simplifying access to Manchester’s inclusive activities

Challenge: Manchester: How to address poverty via a single source of information?
Target Group: families

LotzArt Community Connect is an innovative, user-friendly digital service designed to help Manchester residents easily find support services without needing to download any app. Built to work entirely via WhatsApp, the most widely used messaging tool, the service allows individuals to quickly access accurate, up-to-date, and location-specific information on essential resources like food banks, employment support, debt services, and more.

Developed in close collaboration with Manchester City Council, particularly the Anti-Poverty and Digital Strategy teams, the pilot addresses a pressing challenge: how to simplify access to poverty alleviation services for marginalised and low-income communities.

By delivering locally verified, community-driven information through a tool (WhatsApp) residents already use daily, LotzArt Community Connect reduces barriers to access, be they digital, linguistic, or informational. Local community organisations can easily upload and manage their services via a simple online platform, ensuring accuracy and relevance. QR codes placed in key public spaces would enable residents to access support that is both location-specific and immediate.

This 5-month pilot – focused initially on the Longsight area – has been co-created with grassroots organisations, service providers, and Manchester City Council. Approximately 30-40 participants were involved in three core sessions and related follow-ups; of these, 25 were representative of marginalised communities. This collaborative approach ensures the platform is shaped by, and responsive to, the real needs of the community it serves.

Commu App – Engage Manchester – Tech-Enabled Community Action with Commu App

Commu App – Engage Manchester – Tech-Enabled Community Action with Commu App

Challenge: Manchester: How can any technology solve social challenges?

Target Group: General Population

Commu App “Tinder for Good Deeds” is a digital platform designed to connect people within local communities to request and offer help for everyday needs. It aims to strengthen social inclusion by enabling acts of support such as running errands, offering companionship, or sharing practical skills. In the Manchester pilot, Commu was adapted to the local food-bank support network to support marginalised groups by improving access to local food aid services and opportunities for community engagement. The objective was to co-create a tool that directly addressed local needs.

Co-creation activities with the Anti-Poverty Strategy Team of the city of Manchester included workshops, interviews, and feedback sessions with residents, community leaders, and organisations. Approximately 50 people were involved, 30 of whom can be considered representative of the target group. These sessions shaped the app’s features, language options, and accessibility considerations. As a result, the pilot delivered a more inclusive and locally tailored version of the app, which increased awareness of and participation in community life. The next steps involved further developing the platform based on user feedback, creating resources to support future users, and documenting the process to enable replication in other cities.

Marchesing – Roots & Routes – A cultural wave

Roots and Routes -platform to share events

Marchesing – Roots & Routes – A cultural wave

Challenge: Manchester: How can cultural activities be promoted among minority communities?

Target Group: Vulnerable Communities

The Roots and Routes pilot focused on improving cultural and civic participation among the Bangladeshi community in the city of Manchester by developing a web platform that aggregates local event information and translates it into Bangla. The objective was to reduce language barriers and increase access to relevant activities within the city.

Co-creation with the Cultural team of the city of Manchester was central to the process. Following an initial research phase, the project team engaged in regular biweekly online meetings and conducted in-person workshops in Manchester during months 3 and 6. These sessions involved community members and local organisations, helping to define the platform’s features, language strategy, and content structure. Approximately 58 people were involved, with approximately 40 being considered representative of the target group. The approach ensured that the platform addressed real needs and was culturally and technically accessible.

The final product is a fully functional platform that allows organisations to easily share events, which are then automatically processed and translated for Bangla-speaking users. Testing with local users confirmed the platform’s usability and relevance, particularly within the Longsight neighbourhood.

Looking ahead, the team plans to extend the model to other communities and cities, add new language options, and further develop the interface to increase adoption and engagement. The pilot demonstrated the potential of hyper-local, language-aware platforms to foster inclusion.

Solution availability: https://webapp-rootsroutes-test-fab5e5fkbjgje9aj.westeurope-01.azurewebsites.net/en