People-centred cities, the vision of Frans-Anton Vermast
Discover why it is essential to place citizens at the heart of urban digital transformation.
Frans-Anton Vermast is an international reference in the field of urban innovation. As Senior Strategy Advisor and International Smart City Ambassador for Amsterdam Smart City, he has played a key role in transforming the Dutch capital into a global example of a smart and inclusive city. With a people-centred approach, Vermast advocates for transparency and the openness of data, algorithms, and processes as fundamental principles for sustainable urban development.
In this conversation, held during the 3rd International Conference on Public Policy and Data Science on 20 May 2025, Frans-Anton Vermast shares his vision for the future of urban platforms, emphasising the importance of transparency, economic sustainability, and co-creation as pillars of truly smart cities.
“When you put them (citizens) at the centre of a digital urban innovation, it means you will actually involve them in the whole process of how you develop things.”
UW: Amsterdam Smart City has been a global benchmark in urban innovation. What guiding values do you see as important for a smart city to be, first and foremost, an inclusive city?
FV: I think one of the key values is to be open. So open algorithms, open data, public data – those are, I think, the key values when you want to develop a smart city. Make sure it’s on a non-discriminatory basis, so nobody’s left behind and it’s an inclusive approach. And one of the other things is to think through the whole business model and make sure that it’s not a one-off payment for a lot of people, but that it’s actually sustainable – that it’s economically sustainable as well.
UW: How can data support more effective and transparent public policies?
FV:By being open about your policies. Write them down. Let people and the end user give suggestions on how to improve your policies. And when it comes to, for example, open algorithms, be very, very specific on what you do with the data, what effect it will have on the citizens and ask also citizens and residents for improvements.
UW: Smart cities should be cities for people. In your view, what does it mean, in practice, to place citizens at the centre of urban digital transformation?
FV: When you put them (citizens) at the centre of a digital urban innovation, it means you will actually involve them in the whole process of how you develop things – when it comes to digital twins, when it comes to AI, when it comes to open data. You have to involve them and actually ask for feedback within the whole system, to make sure that everything is tailored to the end user.
UW: What criteria should urban management platforms meet in order to be drivers of innovation rather than just technological tools?
FV: So, first of all, you have to be open. So back to the open platform, but also make sure that you collaborate with cities and not just sell your services. Collaborate, ask for a feedback loop. Don’t be afraid to actually talk to citizens and residents as well.
