Connected Neighbourhood Registry Desks - Milan
In a nutshell
Traditional newsstands, tobacconists and stationery shops around the city of Milan can now issue official vital records documenting birth, death, and marriage as well as other certificates documenting residence, citizenship, and civil status. These “city certificates” were previously available only by physically visiting one of the City’s General Registry Offices or by requesting them online. Neighbourhood operators can voluntarily enrol in this programme through signed agreements and charge a small fee for this service. Newsstands, tobacconists and stationery shops are given access to the certificates portal using their existing equipment. Additional work is being done to expand this programme to other organisations, improving the level of service to residents, increasing speed of service and reducing the burden on city staff. Moreover, a new geo-referenced map allows citizens to quickly and easily view the thirteen registry offices and the operators offering services in agreement with them located in the nine Municipalities, with information on opening hours and the display of the nearest metro lines and railway link.
What makes the service user-centric?
The Municipality conducted a study to identify ways to improve digital service-delivery to city residents. In collaboration with the General Registry Office, the Municipality found that “city certificates” were the most requested services across Milan’s nine districts. In keeping with the City’s user-centric values, it was determined that while there was a desire to access City services online, many residents lacked required knowledge, equipment, or ability to access the internet. Taking advantage of the newsstands, tobacconists and stationery shops’ existing connections between citizens, their communities, and information, the city expanded this urban infrastructure to be able to make Municipal services more widely accessible - without residents having to access a City facility.
What impact has the service had?
Milan’s effort to bring digital services online, creating forward-thinking technology strategies and smart data management practices, are having a direct impact on the quality of life of the City’s residents. This experience opens the door to offering services through new, technological means, to citizens regardless of their digital abilities, thanks to the agreement and support of the representatives of the services.
To date, in the city of Milan, there are 83 newsagents, 56 tobacconists and 21 stationery shops offering services to citizens spread throughout the territory, which have prevented - on average - 500 users a day from going to the main Registry office or the decentralised offices. APIs were created to guarantee secure access to the Municipality’s files and data, and one mobile application was developed to be used by the operators.
In 2021, 59,830 people went to newsagents, 5,497 to tobacconists and 330 to stationers.
This project is highly replicable by cities across Italy and around the world. It follows a Government-as-a-Service logic and utilises existing urban infrastructure to engage citizens and third-party providers.
How was the service co-created?
To begin the design process, the Municipality conducted research on the resident’s interactions with the General Registry Office and identified the most common services and certifications that residents were requesting. This user research also helped the Municipality identify firstly the newsstands – edicole – and following tobacconists and stationery offices, as one of the most widely known and frequented retail points by senior citizens. Local services have an important historical and public value and are seen as a trustworthy access point to information with a high level of accessibility in neighborhoods and communities.
