In this episode, Linda Alksne, IT Project Manager at Liepāja City Council, Latvia, shares a practitioner’s view of citizen-centred digital services—from a mobile app and e-service portal co-designed with residents to pilots that surface surprising. The conversation tracks lessons from an Interact Europe open-data project, early steps toward a digital-twin starting with energy consumption visualisation in municipal buildings, and inclusive approaches that keep non-digital users engaged through trainings and traditional channels. It also touches on behaviour-change work inside the administration and the realities of funding, licensing costs, and limited staff capacity in a small city.    Episode Overview: [00:01:20] Teaser: If Liepaja were an animal [00:01:59] Guest background [00:03:43] City snapshot [00:04:55] Making citizen–government links more direct, digital, and responsive  [00:06:20] User-centred features [00:08:49] Feedback mechanisms and early satisfaction [00:10:27] Pilots and data insight [00:13:18] Interact Europe open-data journey [00:15:50] Digital-twins and inclusion [00:20:12] Paperless Municipality [00:22:15] Challenges Liepaja faces [00:28:40] Podcast Segment: Shoutout [00:29:36] Ending Question: To you, what is a Smart City?   Like our show? Remember to subscribe and rate it! Want to join us for an episode? Fill out the form on our Podcast Page. And for more insights, visit our BABLE Smart Cities Knowledge Hub