Urban Governance and Citizen Satisfaction – The Growing Role of Information Technologies

Citizen satisfaction with living in city is essential for successful city development and economic growth. The academic literature review highlights the economic implications of effective citizen engagement, arguing that successful urban communication promotes economic growth by reducing transaction costs and enhancing public safety. By leveraging online platforms and information technologies, cities can improve service delivery, ensure transparency, and actively engage citizens in governance, thereby increasing trust and satisfaction among residents. This study uses comparative analysis and data from the Eurostat 2023 Report to emphasise the importance of these factors in improving the quality of urban life and promoting sustainable urban development in European cities. According to Eurostat data (2023), the overall satisfaction with urban life in Riga is statistically significantly differs from the two neighbouring capitals Vilnius and Tallin and is also among the lowest among European cities. The goal of this paper was to identify the factors that influence citizens’ satisfaction with life in the city. The authors developed hypotheses that there is an association between citizens’ satisfaction with living in the city and the understandability and transparency of local government processes, the access to municipal information and services online, the efficiency of local government in solving citizens’ requests and the perception of corruption. The research results confirmed the hypotheses.