IURC CoP 9 Cities Share Stakeholder Mapping Insights to Strengthen Digital Transformation

On 13 May, the IURC Community of Practice on Data-driven City and Digital Governance (CoP9) convened an online session where participating cities shared the results of a stakeholder mapping activity aimed at strengthening more strategic and inclusive approaches to digital transformation. The exercise addressed a common priority across cities: ensuring broader and more meaningful stakeholder engagement in digital governance.

Barcelona (Mikel Berra Sandin, AMB) highlighted strong existing collaboration with public sector organisations and academic institutions, while identifying opportunities to further strengthen engagement with citizens and industry actors. The city emphasised the importance of creating clearer value and relevance to encourage broader participation in its digital transition.

Hamburg  (Annika Rix, Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg) presented its people-first digital strategy, grounded in sustainability, trust, digital sovereignty, and co-design. The city also shared ongoing efforts to broaden participation through initiatives such as a youth council, sustainability-focused education programmes, and public outreach to improve digital accessibility and civic engagement.

Osaka City outlined a stakeholder ecosystem spanning residents, government authorities, private companies, universities, and internal city departments. The city highlighted its intention to further strengthen engagement with civil society as part of its smart city development efforts, while continuing collaboration with research institutions and other strategic partners.

Kaohsiung (Ching-Ming Weng, Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government) showcased its broad multi-stakeholder ecosystem supporting digital governance and smart mobility, bringing together public authorities, private sector actors, universities, transport operators, and community representatives. The city’s mapping reflected a strong emphasis on cross-sector collaboration to support innovation and implementation.

Incheon (Sangho Lee, Incheon Free Economic Zone) presented its stakeholder framework through the lens of the Incheon Free Economic Zone’s AI-driven urban innovation strategy. With global corporations, accelerators, startups, academic institutions, and citizens playing distinct roles, the city highlighted how strategic partnerships and living lab environments are being leveraged to advance AI-enabled urban services.

Following the presentations, participants joined an interactive activity comparing stakeholder engagement dynamics across cities. The exercise encouraged reflection on stakeholder collaboration, citizen participation, and trust-building, while also inviting participants to identify unconventional actors who could become valuable allies in future digital governance initiatives.

Written by Yejin Lee, Project Associate in CityNet, IURC Korean Helpdesk

(korea.helpdesk@iurc.eu)