A gamification framework for getting residents closer to public institutions

All around the world, people are shifting towards cities to get closer to services, for better working conditions or just because they enjoy the proximity of such a vast myriad of opportunities that just cities can give. This trend has always been there throughout the years, but recently there has been an exponential growth. This pressure that citizens put under cities, calls for a better management of public institutions and services. In addition, the widely available technology, particularly with the huge growth of mobile device users, created the need and the opportunity for new digital services and platforms. Making a city “smart” is emerging as a strategy to mitigate the problems generated by the urban population growth and rapid urbanization. New ways of achieving the intended goals are being developed and tested. Gamification is an example, where institutions and people’s communication is encouraged through the offering of incentives and rewards that potentiate involvement with that particular institution. Hence, in this work we present a framework for gamification in smart cities, with a digital implemented solution being presented in the form of a mobile application, which aims to improve city hall public services and people’s communication, bringing them closer together.