The hits keep coming for Cascais as its City Points app takes home the UN World Summit Award for digital innovation in government and citizen engagement.
The UN World Summit Awards (WSA) recognized the Municipal Chamber of Cascais for developing the City Points app that encourages good citizenship practices. The app gives users the opportunity to earn points to be exchanged for real products and services.
The points can be used for free admission to museums, new plants, book exchanges, guided tours, new experiences, workshops, tickets to events, and animal care services, to name a few examples.
Based on gamification and the acknowledgment of citizens, the app induces participants to take an active role in transforming the community into a better place to live. With one City Point at a time, participants improve their engagement in the sustainable city.
It was the first time in World Summit Awards history that an “autarchy” won the award.
Miguel Pinto Luz
Accepting the award in Vienna, Austria last week, Cascais Municipal Chamber Vice-President Miguel Pinto Luz remarked, “Citizens do not trust politicians, they do not trust the parties, and they do not trust the institutions or the big companies to whom they give their data,” and that the Cascais City Points app is “a small step in the right direction” for restoring citizens’ confidence in their public servants.
Cascais is the first municipality to use the application, but it is hoped that other municipalities will join the system, which will allow to foster synergies and broaden the network of opportunities for citizens.
The Cascais City Points app is available for Android and iOS.
The World Summit Awards began in 2003 under the framework of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS).
It contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Agenda by recognizing local digital content with an impact on society, demonstrating the richness and diversity of innovative applications.
The World Summit Awards are a unique awards system, selecting and promoting local digital innovation with high impact on improving society. Combining an ongoing series of international events and activities with a global network of startups, social entrepreneurs, mentors, jurors, speakers, experts, government leaders, academia and civil society, WSA is an international platform for cut edge examples on how ICTs can have an impact on society.