Short summary of the episode:

In this episode of the City Design podcast the customer experience of cities is discussed together with Johanna Partti from Kaupunkiliikenne. She stresses that cities are no different from other service providers and that it is always a matter of experience, whether you think about being a customer of an airline or being a citizen. Cities should learn from the business world to develop their customer experience towards a set goal, a vision of what kind of experience they want to produce. This vision will then act as a frame of reference when designing the city and its services. A well-defined vision can even become a competitive advantage for the city. When you have an understanding of what you want to provide citizens and visitors, you can also start to look at other cities and see where you stand compared to them.

In the podcast, Johanna emphasises that involving end users in the planning and development processes leads to better outcomes and reduces resistance also in the city design context. It is important to understand the needs and desires of the target groups within a city to create a more subjective and personalised experience for its inhabitants. Since the experience is also highly dependent on other customers, or in this case, citizens, it is also important to understand the differences for example between different areas within the city and adapt city design accordingly.

Feedback from customers is always valuable, even if it is not always positive, as it helps in goal-oriented development. Involving citizens in the development process is seen as crucial, as it increases understanding and ownership of the city. Johanna suggests for example conducting surveys and utilising online communities to include city residents in the planning of services. According to her, there might often be some reluctance to even ask customers or citizens anything, since the initial feeling is that nobody is willing to answer. This however has always proven to be wrong and people seem to be very eager to be able to give their five cents to things that are touching their everyday life.

In the city design context Johanna also calls for more of an experimentation culture. City development is a long-term process, often taking several years or even decades and it’s worth keeping in mind that many things can be tested and piloted along the way to make sure that the results are beneficial for both the city and the citizens. Testing and doing different light experiments helps in making sensible investments and using tax money in a way that aligns with the users' needs and is relevant to them.