Dražen Lučin
Episode · #626
PAMETNA HRVATSKA Dražen Lučanin, powered by Janaf
Guest Dražen LučinHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026
Dražen Lučin
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
Modernizing a city's digital infrastructure means more than just launching new applications; it means untangling decades of disparate systems and manual processes. For Dražen Lučanin, who heads the City of Zagreb's information systems, this challenge is about addressing a "technical debt" inherited from previous administrations. He details how his department is working to connect hundreds of financial applications for greater transparency, streamline scholarship applications for students, and unify waiting lists for elderly care homes. This conversation offers a practical look at bringing a large municipal government into the digital age, and what it takes to shift from reactive fixes to proactive, citizen-centric services.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
The City Treasury project, which aims to connect 340 separate financial systems across Zagreb's administration, is a task Rijeka completed two decades ago. The real challenge for modern public services isn't just building new tools, but systematically dismantling the "technical debt" inherited from past, disconnected operations.
02
City officials currently spend significant time manually re-typing data between unconnected Excel files for budget oversight. The most immediate return on digital investment often comes not from a public-facing app, but from eliminating the hidden, time-consuming manual processes that bog down internal operations.
03
The new E-Stipendije system, which allows online applications via e-građani, has resulted in a 20% increase in first-year student applications. Removing friction from an administrative process doesn't just make it easier; it expands the applicant pool, revealing unmet demand that was previously suppressed by complex hurdles.
04
Zagreb's 11 elderly care homes each maintain separate waiting lists, leading to confusion and unfairness when residents' needs change suddenly. Centralizing disparate administrative systems isn't just an efficiency play; it's a fundamental step toward creating a more transparent and equitable allocation of critical public resources.
05
While building digital tools for seniors, the department plans for in-person support, but also notes that many retirees today are already tech-savvy computer and mobile users. When designing for demographics often considered "digitally challenged," don't assume a lack of literacy; recognize that digital fluency is generational, and your users are aging with their technology.
06
The Ekokarta platform, tracking air quality at 49 stations, gives citizens real-time data on their environment, from air to pollen. Providing direct access to granular public data isn't just about transparency; it shifts their relationship with the city from passive recipients of information to active participants in urban health.