How cities can use technology to enhance citizens’ participation? How to develop a "participation culture" across public administrations?

During this session, you will listen to two of the most widely-used open-source tools for citizen engagement on the market: Decidim and DIPAS. 

Decidim is a Free Open-Source participatory democracy platform for cities and organizations, used by many cities and other public authorities to facilitate citizen participation in decision-making. It is used, among others, by the city of Barcelona, to build its citizen participation strategy and platform. 

DIPAS is an open-source software that integrates geospatial data into an online participation platform. It was developed for the city of Hamburg and is currently being implemented in Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich as part of a joint project called "Connected Urban Twins".  

About the event

Civic Tech encompasses new and emerging digital technologies, tools and processes that enable greater citizen participation in decision making from local to national levels, and the development and delivery of co-created strategies and policies. 

Cities are looking at technology to enhance the relationship between citizens and the local government, be more transparent, and involve citizens in democratic life. Some already have solid experience with advanced technology, others are in the process, and many are just starting. The market is dynamic, and it is not easy to identify the right technology. 

About Nets4Dem

This event is organised in collaboration with Nets4Dem. 

Nets4Dem is a network of networks, creating a hub for collaboration and advanced research in the field of democratic innovation, civic deliberation, participation, and citizenship education. The EU-funded project unites policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, to strengthen our joint capacity to implement innovative democracy initiatives at local, national, and European levels.

Draft Agenda

10:00 – 10:05 Welcome 

10:05 – 10:35 The Decidim platform and the experience of the city of Barcelona – Arnau Monterde, Director for democracy innovation in Barcelona and founder of Decidim (TBC) 

10:35 – 10:50 The journey of the city of Sofia – from identifying the need to a roadmap (TBC) 

10:50 – 11:20 DIPAS: citizen’s engagement in urban planning through open source –Christoph Schubert, City of Leipzig 

11:20 – 11:30 Q&A