Stakeholder engagement for humanizing metaverse: some useful lessons from METACITY
Technologic development rarely makes headlines, as it usually advances outside the everyday current affairs of our societies. Nevertheless, the emergence of immersive technologies is sparking unprecedented debate, as digital technologies are reshaping how cities are planned and promoted, but also how people take part in new forms of participatory governance.
Dialogue and collaboration with residents are becoming crucial aspects of every digital transformation process, as experienced by the partners of METACITY which are finalizing the process of integrated action planning. For many of them this was the first opportunity to bring the potential of metaverse technologies for urban innovation under the spotlight as a crucial topic of the local political agenda.
Bringing together municipalities, universities, research centres, and local communities from across Europe, the network has fostered the co-creation of Integrated Action Plans that embed digital innovation within inclusive and participatory governance models. The partners of METACITY are experiencing innovative ways to strengthen stakeholder engagement on topics like artificial intelligence and virtual reality offering useful lessons also for other cities that are including the use of immersive technologies into their local strategies.
