Adjunct professor at Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance at Taltech

“Trust is a two-way street: citizens trust the governments if the governments show trust in citizens’ opinions. Combining our R&I investments with active citizen engagement, we will increase trust in new solutions and achieve much higher impact. This is what our new EU Missions are about - for and with the citizens.”

"Cities are the main stage for the play where we, the people, try to solve the global climate and inequality crises. Sometimes adding smartness, testing innovations, and asking citizens for opinions leads to outcomes that hinder, not help, to solve these crises. We need radically improved ways for joint action to meet the urgency needed."

"I think oftentimes cities pilot different smart solutions just to look innovative to their citizens. If we have a closer look, cities do not learn much from such pilots. If city administrations really aim to improve public services and the life of the residents then they need to be more inclusive and think more about the design of the pilots."

“We need to put technology and data at the service of people and the ecological transition: a digital humanism preserving citizens’ digital rights and their data sovereignty.”

„The feel of belonging and connection with the neighbourhood creates the strongest motivation that thrives local engagement in city development. The question is on how to create and convert that motivation into better homes and well-planned city.“

“Together we make the smart city.”

"Cities are designed and built for people, therefore we should embrace the knowledge people have of their living environment."

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"In this era revolving around emphasising individual needs, it is very easy to forget how to co-create shared futures. Public participation is similar to any other skill, that needs to be trained to become habitual culture."

“To create a shift in the society that really sticks, we need to start with the wishes and desires of people.”

He leads initiatives on digital technologies, people-centered smart cities and open innovation

„Ideally should all citizens be active to voice out their views about their city developments. Cities should strive to apply Swiss democracy model to support collective decision-making processes. It sounds easy, but would also mean a shift of powers in the cities.“

"To develop sustainable smart city solutions, we need digital technologies. But more importantly, we must encourage and empower citizens, regardless of their background, to participate in developing and using those solutions."

“The smart city technology is here and now we need brave and smart decisions to use it for more people and environment friendly cities.”

“Big city or a small village, no matter the geographic location of the space, the places that we inhabit are the ones where we create and leave our trace. So let’s get cooking.”

"The smart city is not about the efficiency of the deployment of innovative solutions, but about how it contributes towards achieving the value-based goals of sustainable urban development, such as climate and social resilience and co-creation with the citizens."