Across the globe, government teams are leveraging a CitizenLab platform to tap into the collective intelligence of their communities and shape their futures together with residents. In this month’s selection for our inspiring platforms series, we take you on a trip across different countries to learn more about other local governments’ work and inspire your community engagement efforts!
Boom lets residents choose priorities using CitizenLab’s revamped voting methods (Belgium)
In the scenic town of Boom, Belgium, participatory democracy is taking center stage in the form of a participatory budget.
In the initial phase, Boom’s residents were invited to propose ideas for community improvement on the CitizenLab platform. Out of all the submissions, ten project ideas that met a set of feasibility conditions – such as price and time needed to realize – were shortlisted.
Currently, the voting phase is underway. Rather than casting a single vote, each resident is granted three votes, allowing them to either back multiple projects or show stronger support for a particular initiative. It’s exciting to see Boom using our recently revamped suite of dedicated voting and prioritization options for their project!
See the new voting feature in action on Boom’s platform
“Our renewed Voting Methods feature offers a wider range of voting options to facilitate a more inclusive, nuanced, and effective decision-making process. Whether it’s the simplicity and accessibility of Approval voting, meaning one vote per option, the expressive power of multiple votes with Cumulative Voting, or the financial responsibility of Participatory Budgeting, each method offers unique benefits that cater to diverse decision-making scenarios.”
Irene Pedruelo, Product Manager
The text on this image was originally in Dutch and was machine translated
Wigan Borough takes a blended approach to envision a brighter future with its residents (United Kingdom)
Understanding what community members want from their local government is core to any government’s success. And that’s exactly what Wigan Borough wants to do with the engagement project “Wigan Borough’s New Era”. In a bid to gather comprehensive insights about their community’s priorities, the council turned to both digital and traditional methods to engage residents.
In a detailed questionnaire designed with CitizenLab’s built-in Survey tool, the council asked for feedback about its performance over the past decade and what could be improved. The digital engagement proved fruitful, with over 620 community members sharing their perspectives.
Additionally, the engagement team organized several offline engagement opportunities to reach as many people as possible. Initiatives include workshops with young people, staff, and teams across all council services, and conversations at various events in the borough.
The council is currently analyzing all the input and will share the key findings and next steps at the beginning of October.
Schagen lets residents decide on the design for playgrounds in their neighborhood (Netherlands)
Playgrounds are pivotal community hubs that should exude warmth and welcome, and above all, their design must prioritize the safety and well-being of every child who visits. In that light, the municipality of Schagen in the Netherlands is giving a fresh face to its 15 playgrounds. Instead of making top-down decisions, they’ve proposed two design options for each playground. Residents are invited to vote for the design they’d like in their vicinity.
Handling multiple projects could be cumbersome, but thanks to CitizenLab’s digital engagement platform, managing these projects has been a breeze for the local team. Each playground has its distinct project page, neatly organized within a single folder. This setup ensures clarity and ease of access.
Moreover, instead of starting from scratch for every new project, the platform enables the engagement team to replicate settings with just a click and make necessary tweaks. This feature substantially reduces setup time, providing a more efficient approach for the local team.
Get inspired by Schagen’s project
The text on this image was originally in Dutch and was machine translated
Odsherred empowers residents to shape the local agenda with resident proposals (Denmark)
In the municipality of Odsherred, Denmark, residents are given an active role in shaping local policies. A recent resident proposal advocating for a reduced speed limit on a particular street got the necessary backing from the community that mandates its consideration by the local government.
Odsherred’s use of CitizenLab’s proposal feature makes such impactful community participation possible. Residents can submit their proposals, and others can support them by upvoting these suggestions. As a local government, you set the benchmark – deciding on how many upvotes a proposal requires to be officially addressed, ensuring that the most resonant ideas reach the decision-making table.
Have a look at how Odsherred uses our proposal feature
Gobierno Digital connects women in digital transformation digitally (Chile)
Under the banner of “Gobierno Digital”, the General Secretariat of the Presidency of Chile embarked on an ambitious journey to weave the voices of community members and stakeholders into the digital transformation of the nation’s governmental bodies and institutions.
Recently, the platform saw a significant surge in registrants after announcing and launching a network dedicated to women in digital transformation. The goal is to bring together brilliant female minds across various services and institutions on the platform, share best practices, and amplify the visibility of women in digital roles.
Among its backers are influential public officials like the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, Álvaro Elizalde Soto, the Minister Secretary General of Government, Camila Vallejo Dowling, and the acting Minister of Women and Gender Equity, Luz Vidal Huiriqueo.
Several of CitizenLab’s engagement features, such as online ideation and digital workshops, will be instrumental in ensuring the network’s success and championing a digital, inclusive, and equal Chile.
Antony surveys its residents to refine the redesign of a commercial street (France)
Antony’s main shopping street, Rue Auguste-Mounié, has long been a point of criticism due to daily traffic jams and the resulting pollution.
In September 2019, the French city asked its residents for their improvement suggestions and the response was resounding. With 5,200 community members responding, there was a clear desire for Rue Mounié to allocate more space to pedestrians. To put that into perspective, between 20,000 and 25,000 locals usually vote in elections.
Based on the earlier consultation, which Antony referenced in the information-sharing phase for this project, the city developed a regeneration plan that aligns with those outcomes. The Covid-19 pandemic caused some delay, but the plan is now ready to be put into action.
To further refine the details, the city is hosting a survey on its CitizenLab engagement platform. Here, residents can weigh in on elements such as desired plants, street furniture, and biking infrastructure for the redesigned street.
