UW: How important is collaboration between public and private entities in the management of a city?

FA: The future of our cities must inevitably involve stronger relationships and deeper sense of community. That spirit of community involves the public sector, in partnership with the private sector, and ultimately places the citizen at the centre of what is being developed. When we talk about cities, we are really talking about people, their wellbeing, urban development, and their quality of life.

So when we address these issues, we are also reflecting on the responsibilities of the public sector, and there are plenty of them, but we need a private sector that is dynamic, innovative, and capable of driving the solutions we seek. A sector that works alongside us to help shape a better vision of the city. We talk a lot about smart cities and urban development, but at the end of the day, we are talking about improving citizens’ quality of life and wellbeing.

UW: How do Urban Management Platforms improve citizens’ daily lives?

FA: When we speak about the digital world, we are speaking of increasing complexity. We are all aware of the sheer volume of information we now generate digitally – and the same applies to cities.

In recent years, particularly in the last decade, we have seen a huge increase in the amount of data produced in cities, through sensors, through our mobility, through the cards we use, through the information we consult, and the data available to us. Managing all that data, which comes from traffic lights, public services, incident reports, and licensing processes – is only possible if we can bring it together. Dispersed information has no value. But when we aggregate that data in an urban platform and treat it in a common framework, then we can make real use of it. 

So when we centralise this information in a single platform,  who are we supporting? We’re supporting political decision-makers, but also technical staff – those managing the city on a daily basis – by giving them the tools to make better decisions. And today’s world is all about data-driven decision-making. Taking decisions based on data, based on real information, helps us make better choices. That’s why an urban platform makes perfect sense. We’ve done a lot of work on this in Porto. In just a few months the platform we manage in the city processes billions of events. This can only be done digitally, with the right technologies in place. So yes – it absolutely makes sense.

UW: Are citizens already benefiting from the use of this platform?

FA: Yes. In fact, the billions of events we process relate to many services already used by citizens daily – such as the “Cartão Porto.”, which provides access to various benefits. 

A lot of the technology that powers that card is run through the platform. And when we think about mobility, or for example, the free Wi-Fi available throughout the city – these are all services that are interoperable and operationalised through the urban platform. If someone reports an incident through our app (for example, a pothole or a bag out of place in the city) that information goes through the digital platform. This allows us to respond much faster and much more efficiently. And since we’re talking about public money – money that belongs to all of us – being fast and efficient clearly translates into public benefit. So yes, the citizens of Porto are already benefitting greatly from this digital infrastructure, even if it goes unnoticed. It’s helping them every day.