As we wrap up the year, our experts compiled a diverse collection for our final showcase of 2023. This selection introduces fresh, inspiring projects but also revisits some of the most noteworthy ones our community of 500+ local governments and organizations launched in the past year. Enjoy the read!
- City of Ostend lets residents discover and vote for their favorite festive light displays (Belgium)
- Municipality of Waddinxveen empowers residents to take ownership in climate action with free trees (Netherlands)
- London Borough of Newham lets residents vote for favorite projects to improve neighborhoods (United Kingdom)
- City of Düsseldorf plans more green spaces with the community (Germany)
- Rueil-Malmaison breaks down a huge participatory budgeting project for each village of the municipality (France)
- City of Copenhagen invites residents to co-shape the city’s future through Proposals (Denmark)
- Gobierno Digital connects women in digital transformation digitally (Chile)
City of Ostend lets residents discover and vote for their favorite festive light displays (Belgium)
As the dark winter nights have drawn in on the northern hemisphere, the Belgian City of Ostend brings a bit of light and an opportunity for their community to come together with their annual “Ostend sparkles” competition. This festive initiative sees 175 locals, including entrepreneurs and associations, lighting up the city with beautifully decorated facades, gardens, balconies, and shop windows.
The competition offers enticing prizes, spurring as many people as possible to join in the festive display. In each of the eight neighborhoods, three winners are chosen. The prizes include shopping vouchers from local stores for participating residents and a cash prize for the most creative Christmas decoration in the businesses and organizations category.
New this year is the award for the best-decorated street – which can win a neighborhood party once at least five residents participate.
Screenshot of one of the project pages on Ostend’s engagement platform. The text was originally in Dutch and this depiction is machine-translated.
From December 8, 2023 to January 1, 2024, residents can vote for their favorite decorations. By offering downloadable “sparkle maps” on the city’s CitizenLab participation platform, residents are first encouraged to go out and discover all the participants to make an informed choice.
For the voting process, Ostend is leveraging our platform’s Polling feature. Residents are given three ‘votes’ to distribute among their favorite participating neighbors. At the time of writing, an impressive 2,091 residents had already participated, showcasing the event’s popularity and the community’s enthusiasm.
Discover Ostend’s sparkling project
Municipality of Waddinxveen empowers residents to take ownership in climate action with free trees (Netherlands)
In a proactive response to climate change, the Dutch Municipality of Waddinxveen introduces the “Trees for Waddinxveen” project, a green initiative aimed at enhancing local biodiversity and tackling environmental challenges. This project, rooted in a 2022 study on the local impacts of climate change, offers a hands-on approach for residents to contribute to a healthier, more resilient community.
The idea: offer 100 free trees to residents, inviting them to suggest planting locations. With many gardens in Waddinxveen dominated by stone rather than greenery, this project aims to reverse the trend, using trees as natural defenses against extreme weather conditions while boosting local biodiversity. In just one day, the Municipality received over 100 applications!
For the project, the engagement team used the Mapping feature of the CitizenLab platform, allowing residents to indicate their preferred planting locations conveniently. The map view also simplified the process when the team evaluated the optimal distribution of trees across the municipality.
In February 2024, they plan to get status updates from the residents who planted a tree by inviting them to share a photo and tips for how to take good care of trees.
Intrigued by this empowering project? Check it out here
London Borough of Newham lets residents vote for favorite projects to improve neighborhoods (United Kingdom)
The People Powered Places program of the London Borough of Newham entered a new phase in October 2023.
From October 21 until November 12, Newham’s community was invited to decide how a substantial £1.6 million funding pot should be distributed across eight Community Neighborhoods in what was called the ‘Big Vote’.
What sets this initiative apart is its inclusive approach to voting. Recognizing the diverse demographic of Newham, the program opened its doors digitally on their CitizenLab engagement platform, and in local libraries and community centers.
Example of the voting on Newham’s engagement platform
All residents 13 and older could vote for their 10 favorite projects using CitizenLab’s Approval Voting method – or select 10 projects on their paper ballot. Also, younger children could vote under adult supervision at local events and libraries. This blended engagement approach ensured that every resident, regardless of age or tech-savviness, had a say in the future of their neighborhood.
Impressively, this led to nearly 8,000(!) residents casting their votes, showcasing a high level of community involvement and enthusiasm.
To guide residents through the process, the engagement team crafted a comprehensive FAQ and video tutorial, offering clarity and support.
Check out Newham’s praised People Powered Places program or read more about it in our case study
City of Düsseldorf plans more green spaces with the community (Germany)
“Always wanted to become a city planner?” With this intriguing question, Düsseldorf is sparking creativity and inviting residents to actively shape their local environment. The project to develop a green spaces framework plan for District 9, spearheaded by Düsseldorf’s Marketing department, is turning city planning into an engaging and collaborative endeavor – with a little help from the CitizenLab platform.
Example of the interactive map on Düsseldorf’s engagement platform. The text was originally in German and this depiction is machine-translated.
Using the interactive Mapping tool, residents can pinpoint specific locations within neighborhoods on a custom-layered map of the District and suggest areas for new green spaces, playgrounds, or communal open areas.
This engagement method’s ability to foster community dialogue is particularly powerful. Apart from submitting ideas, residents can also engage in conversations, build upon each other’s suggestions and create a dynamic exchange of visions for their district.
Besides adding ideas on a map, participants can also add general suggestions on an ideation forum, or share their opinions about what’s good and what can be further improved through a survey on the platform.
Explore Düsseldorf’s engagement platform
Rueil-Malmaison breaks down a huge participatory budgeting project for each village of the municipality (France)
Rueil Malmaison, a suburb of Paris characterized by its diverse villages, is actively engaging its residents in shaping their community through the “My Village, My City” initiative. Through this project, Rueil-Malmaison empowers locals to help suggest and prioritize ideas aimed at improving every part of their community.
This example showcases the advantages of a digital engagement platform like CitizenLab for long-term projects. Ideas gathered on the platform in 2022 and thoroughly examined for feasibility by Village Councils, ensuring they are both practical and serve the general interest, were seamlessly transitioned to the voting phase. This allowed for easy re-engagement of previous participants and enabled the local team to shift their focus to getting residents who hadn’t participated yet to do so.
Example of the idea forum on Rueil-Malmaison’s engagement platform. The text was originally in French and this depiction is machine-translated.
After the voting phase, residents whose ideas were selected were invited by the council to participate in workshops to meet the other participants, discuss their projects with municipal services, and – if all the (financial, technical, regulatory) conditions are met – move the projects forward. These were also announced on the platform.
Have a look at the project here
Did you know… that our Voting Methods have had a major upgrade recently? Our team developed two new Voting Methods – Approval Voting and Cumulative Voting – and also refreshed our Participatory Budgeting method. Discover which one is right for your project in this article.
City of Copenhagen invites residents to co-shape the city’s future through Proposals (Denmark)
The City of Copenhagen has launched an exciting and innovative engagement project to improve the city. All residents over 15 years old are invited to submit proposals. If a proposal receives 5,000 votes, it’s not just noted—it’s actively considered! Once a proposal reaches the threshold, it is reviewed by a committee before it is put up for a vote in the local city council.
Through this initiative, the city aims to reach up to 20,000 residents within the first year and a half. “Engagement and dialogue are the ‘key’ to turn Copenhagen into the capital many dream of,” Lord Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen (S) said in a press release.
Example of a proposal on the City of Copenhagen’s engagement platform. The text was originally in Danish and this depiction is machine-translated.
Our team of developers worked closely with Copenhagen’s engagement team to customize both how community members can post their proposals and how the local team can manage everything in the back end. We’re excited to see how this transformational initiative helps amplify the voices of more of Copenhagen’s residents so they can directly shape the city they call home!
Check out Copenhagen’s Proposals hub
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 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.