MetaCity Drives Digital Change in Härnösand

The Swedish municipality of Härnösand is taking a bold step toward smarter governance by 

joining MetaCity, a European initiative that helps cities adopt emerging digital tools. 

As technology reshapes how people live and interact with government, small and medium-sized cities are increasingly expected to deliver faster, more personalized services. 

Härnösand is embracing this opportunity to experiment with solutions that make governance more effective, inclusive, and future-ready.

MetaCity is part of the URBACT European program, which supports cities in co-developing strategies that align with the EU’s broader digital and sustainability goals. Through peer learning and practical experimentation, participating cities are building local action plans that can be scaled and shared across Europe.

What Härnösand Is Testing

Härnösand is currently exploring how digital technologies can help with everyday municipal challenges. Projects being piloted include:

• AI-powered tools for municipal staff to process citizen inquiries more efficiently.

• Digital twins to simulate infrastructure upgrades and urban development scenarios.

• AR/VR experiences that let citizens engage with planning and service designs in a visual way.

• Data dashboards to improve transparency and decision-making across departments.

These tools are aimed at enhancing coordination between city departments, saving time and resources, and giving residents better visibility into how decisions are made.

Enhancing Public Services

A major focus of the project is improving public services through technology. Smaller municipalities like Härnösand often lack the scale or resources of larger urban centers, making innovation essential for staying responsive to public needs.

By adopting AI tools and digital simulations, the city aims to:

• Reduce response times for citizen queries.

• Enable remote access to local services.

• Help urban planners make informed, data-driven decisions.

• Allow more public input through visual and interactive formats.

Digital tools also support staff training and internal coordination, contributing to better service delivery without increasing overhead.

Aligning with Urban Sustainability

Härnösand’s approach is rooted in the goal of achieving urban sustainability. Through digital models and simulations, the city can assess the long-term impact of planning decisions before breaking ground. This reduces waste, improves energy planning, and supports more resilient infrastructure development.

Whether it’s optimizing traffic flow, managing green spaces, or planning for demographic shifts, technology is enabling more thoughtful and scalable solutions.