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

About the event 

Civic Tech encompasses new and emerging digital technologies, tools and processes that enable greater citizen participation in local and national decision-making, 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, while many are just starting. The market is dynamic, and it is not easy to identify the right technology. 

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 their 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 tested and used in Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich as part of a joint project called "Connected Urban Twins".  

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.

Agenda

14:00 – 14:05 Welcome 

14:05 - 14:30 Decidim: open source digital infrastructure for participatory democracy - Nil Homedes, President of Decidim Association  

14:30 – 14:50 DIPAS: citizen’s engagement in urban planning through open source – Christoph Schubert, City of Leipzig  

14:50 – 15:00 Moderated discussion on use cases and challenges  

The recording of the session is available here.