Politicians, policy makers and public servants have never faced a situation like this. They immediately need policies that really work. Best practices can serve as an inspiration, a starting point and a proof of concept.
Fully digitising homeschooling
A programme by the City of Plovdiv in place since 2016 serves as a perfect starting point to tackle the challenges parents and schools face during lockdown.
Helping tourists to maintain physical distancing
The Swedish island of Gotland hired a group of armored knights to patrol well-visited places in the region to ensure that tourists adhere to physical distancing measures.
Providing citizens with iPads for virtual family reunions
To make it possible for families to reunite at least virtually, the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are supplying their wards with 100 iPads, complete with FaceTime, Skype and Zoom.
Multilingual education material
A Norwegian platform offers educational material in Norwegian as well as in the country’s main immigrant languages.
Free temporary bike sharing
The bike-sharing system in Berlin can be used for free for the first 30 minutes to make it more easily accessible.
Discovering a whole country from home
An online platform lets people experience their country and learn new skills for free while staying home.
Digital infrastructure for homeschooling
The city of Vienna provides free laptops and a digital learning platform for students in need.
An urban crowdsourcing platform for mutual aid
To connect those who offer help and those who need help, the City of Linz created a crowdsourcing platform.
ID could function as a debit card to receive financial benefits
A government is exploring ways to transfer benefits to citizens without bank accounts.
A city’s website for assistance and mutual help
To keep track of the things happening in the municipality of Milan, a website displays both the city’s services and mutual aid as well as community activities.
Government platform to recruit retired or unemployed health professionals
The French Ministry of Solidarity and Health launched a platform to recruit volunteers and health professionals who are unemployed or retired.
Supporting local shops that offer home delivery
A geo-referenced online map shows the small neighborhood shops and businesses that sell essential goods and offer home delivery.