From practice
One problem a city has, and how it gets solved on citizens' phones. Written from the work with cities, not about it.
3 min read
Has the snow been cleared on my way? Ploughs and road conditions, on the phone
It snowed all night. The ploughs have been out since four, and the city's phone has been ringing since six. Here is how citizens see for themselves what has been cleared.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Temporary parking bans: how a resident finds out before the tow truck
The city grants a permit, the contractor puts up a sign, the car gets towed. The city knew about the ban all along. Here is how that reaches the one person who needs it.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Reporting a fault in the city: a photo, a point on the map, done
A pothole, a street light that is out, an illegal dump. Citizens see it first. The only question is how hard it is for them to tell the city.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
When is my waste collected? One street, its schedule and a reminder the evening before
Every household asks the same question, and the answer depends on the street. Here is how a citizen gets it once and never has to look for it again.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Is this warning real? A warning in the city's name, to everyone at once
A water cut, a storm, a closed road. Warnings travel from neighbour to neighbour and over social media, often late and sometimes wrong. Here is how a city sends its own, from one place, to everyone.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
When does my tram leave? Live departures nearby and the vehicles on the map
At a stop, a person wants to know one thing: wait or walk. Here is how the phone answers it, live, without a single tap.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Where can I park? Free spaces in every car park, before you drive into town
Drivers circle the centre looking for a space while a car park on the edge of town has room to spare. Here is how the city shows them where the room is, before they set off.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Who is on duty tonight: the doctor, the pharmacy and the number to call
It is Saturday night and a child has a fever. Nobody wants a directory then. They want to know who is working right now, and which number to call.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Where does the city's money go? The budget, read on a phone
Every city adopts a budget and puts it on its website. Few citizens ever open it. Not because they do not care, but because it reaches them as a long document written for councillors.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
How does a city hear what its citizens want? A poll, a proposal and a vote
A city that wants to ask its citizens something usually ends up with a public consultation few people find. Here is how the question reaches them, and how their own ideas reach the city.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
What is on in town tonight? One calendar, with the poster, the time and the venue
The cinema posts on its own page, the library on another, the festival on social media. Whoever wants to know what is on tonight has to check five places. Or one.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
What can I get at my age? Passes, discounts and deadlines for the young, in one place
A birthday or a new school year changes what a young person can get, and most never find out. Here is how the city's app tells them what applies at their age, and until when.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Which bike is nearest, and what will the ride cost? Every operator in one place
Shared bikes stand on every corner, but each operator lives in its own app. Here is how the city's app shows the nearest bike of every operator and its price, and opens the right app in one tap.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
How bad is the traffic right now? One number for the city, the roads behind it and the whole week
Before getting into the car, a person wants to know whether to leave now or later, and which way. Here is how one number on the home screen answers it, and why the city gains when everybody sees the same number.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Does my train run, and from which platform? My line, chosen once, on the home screen
Someone who commutes by train asks the same three questions every morning and every evening. Here is how the tile answers them before the person reaches the station.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
Why do people miss what the city announces? City news in the app they already open every day
A city puts out notices, events and sport results every week, and many citizens never see them. Here is how a city puts its news in one list, with a breaking notice on top, where people already look.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
What does our city look like to the people who live in it? One photo a day, taken by them
Every day people photograph the street they walk down, the river, the tower at sunset, and the photos stay on their phones. Here is how they reach the whole city instead.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
3 min read
What is worth seeing here? The city's sights, day trips and tours, in the app its residents already use
A visitor arriving for the weekend and a family that has just moved in ask the same question, and both get ten different lists. Here is how the city answers it in its own app.
Tomislav Krnic
Founder of the smart city project CityX
