From vision to reality
Department of Service and Innovation Annual Report 2025
Reykjavík in the international conversation on digital transformation
We sat down with Arna Ýr Sævarsdóttir and Inga Rós Gunnarsdóttir to discuss the Department of Service and Innovation's international engagement. Throughout the year, the department actively participated in numerous international conferences and collaborative projects, presenting and discussing Reykjavík City's experience with digital transformation.
Presenting the City's work to the inaugural cohort of the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative in Berlin, Inga Rós and Arna Ýr shared how the relationship between data and service design shapes the department's day-to-day work. These two elements reinforce each other during creative and strategic development; data guides us toward new directions and surfaces otherwise hidden possibilities, while service design reveals fresh needs and questions that drive further data collection.
The department also attended the
Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona — one of the world's largest smart city conferences — where Inga Rós represented Reykjavík City on a UN-Habitat panel focused on using digital innovation to improve access to housing and services. At the same conference, elected officials and staff participated in the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights (CC4DR) collaborative track. Discussions explored how cities can collaborate to uphold digital rights, data protection, equity, and democratic accountability across every digital solution.
Department representatives also attended the Data 2030 Summit in Stockholm, CDO Europe Exchange in Munich, the Public Innovation Network's Public Innovation Summit in Baltimore, and a service design conference in Malmö, where Arna Ýr shared Reykjavík City's experience placing children at the center of service design — specifically through the Better City for Children (BBB) project. Her presentation emphasized how purposeful service design, rooted in children's real needs, can lead to better decisions and more thoughtful public service development.
Can you tell us about your participation in international events?
Our team attended several international events, including gatherings in Stockholm and Munich focused on artificial intelligence in public service, and the UN-Habitat conference in Barcelona. We also joined conferences in Malmö and Baltimore that centered on service design, with a particular emphasis on youth engagement. Our goal was to share our experience while learning from other cities.
It is evident that our recent efforts are yielding strong results, positioning our city as an inspiration for others.
What messages did you emphasize?
We heavily emphasized user-centered service design and putting the child first, primarily through initiatives like Better City for Children. While any single digital solution is important, our unique process is what draws international attention. People frequently ask us to share this story, eager to learn how we carried out such a major administrative transformation with the child as its foundation. Our presentations also addressed the relationship between data and service design, highlighting how data collection helps us make better decisions and deliver stronger services.
What has the response been like?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Colleagues are often surprised by how far Reykjavík has advanced. It is evident that our recent efforts are yielding strong results, positioning our city as an inspiration for others.
Maintaining tight integration between the services we offer and the service user is central to our strategy.
How does Reykjavík compare internationally?
We rank very highly overall, even leading the way in certain areas. Our holistic approach draws particular attention, focusing not just on the technology itself, but on how we drive change in administration with every service user at the center.
What characterizes the conversation around digital transformation in these forums?
We often notice a disconnect between those leading digital transformation efforts and the actual delivery of services. Bridging that gap is exactly where our strength lies. Maintaining tight integration between the services we offer and the service user is central to our strategy.
Such shared struggles reinforce our role within a larger context, confirming that Reykjavík City's experience holds a valuable place in broader professional conversations.
What is the main takeaway from participating in international conferences and events?
Engaging in these global forums has only deepened our conviction that we are on the right track. Having built a solid foundation over the past several years, we now operate in full alignment with the policy and methods we originally established. Receiving such positive and enthusiastic responses abroad deepens our pride in what the Department of Service and Innovation has accomplished.
We also recognize that our challenges mirror those currently testing larger cities and international organizations. Such shared struggles reinforce our role within a larger context, confirming that Reykjavík City's experience holds a valuable place in broader professional conversations.
Why does international collaboration matter?
Collaborating with other cities allows us to share experiences, learn mutually, and develop better solutions that protect rights while improving services for residents.
