We find ourselves consistently impressed by the types of projects launched on our platform. In this monthly inspiration series, we’ll spotlight some of the innovative ways governments and organizations around the world are activating and engaging their communities virtually. Let’s dive in!
- Belgian football club KV Mechelen brings their fan organization online 🇧🇪
Participatory governance already stretches beyond government institutions and we’re sure to see even more innovations in the years to come. KV Mechelen became the first football club to use our platform to engage its fans. Their club is using the platform to decide whether the fan organization should be a cooperative, what kind of investor model they should pursue, and whether they should change their club name. Of their 10,000-strong fan base, over 3,600 fans have already engaged in these conversations on the platform! View the project.
- The City of Ninove, Belgium launches a new engagement campaign 🇧🇪
It’s one thing to have residents propose their ideas for community projects, but having them actively comment and vote on one another’s ideas is next-level engagement. Ninove recently launched their “100 x 100” campaign to encourage more participation: if your idea gets at least 100 votes in 100 days, it will be discussed by the council within the next two months and you’ll get personalized feedback on your proposal. So far, 873 residents have participated in this project and 7 proposals have passed the threshold to be discussed by the council. View the project.
- The Municipality of Schagen, Netherlands improves green space 🇳🇱
In the past year, we’ve all felt the increased importance of outdoor spaces and greenery in our cities. The Municipality of Schagen dedicated one project to collecting community members’ ideas for increased green spaces at their schools or associations; winning ideas will receive €5,000 to implement their plans. Each proposal submitter also received support to draw a custom design for their idea and received a landscaping price list to help with budget development. 2,600 community members voted and more than 4,000 community members engaged on the platform. View the project.
- The Municipality of Nieuwkoop, Netherlands uses mapping to plan for solar energy 🇳🇱
A town of 29,000 residents, Nieuwkoop impressed us with over 1,800 active participants on their recently launched platform. With so much demand for solar panels on buildings, the municipality wanted community feedback on the potential to create solar panel fields around the town. They used custom map layers to indicate which zones are potential candidates for solar energy so the community could give feedback on those locations and suggest other creative ideas for clean energy. View the project.
- City of Lancaster, USA uses mapping to plan for safer streets 🇺🇸
Before breaking ground to make South Duke Street a safer, community-friendly corridor, the City of Lancaster wanted input from the very people who live, work, and play in the area. Data showed that things like slower speed limits, more visible crosswalks, lighting, better sidewalks, and bike lanes could help – but what did the community want and need? The city used mapping to collect localized feedback from the community on the changes they wanted to in specific areas of the corridor. View the project.
- Stirling Council, UK is prioritizing climate change 🇬🇧
Our first client in Scotland, Stirling Council initially used the platform for petitions but has since expanded it to in-depth projects to improve mobility and address climate issues. One such project aims to get the community involved in reducing carbon emissions, conserving and enhancing nature, and preparing proactively for expected changes to our climate. The council drafted a plan of action and is collecting community input on it to ensure they’re building on community needs and building buy-in. View the project.
