Citizen participation in Dresden: Digital tools and new insights into administration

How can citizen participation in a growing city like Dresden be organised in a contemporary, transparent and effective way? Two current approaches from the pilot project Smart City Dresden show how digital tools and internal processes work together: While the citizen participation kiosks (BBKs) strengthen the direct exchange with the local urban society, an internal administrative "self-check" ensures a better overview, networking and further development within the city administration. Together, these two components make an important contribution to a sustainable culture of participation in Dresden.

The BBKs - mobile terminals for sustainable citizen participation in action

The BBKs (citizen participation kiosks) of the Toolbox Smart Participation (TSP) were also used in the AGORA of the city forum in the first quarter of 2026.

Extensive feedback was obtained during the INSEK exhibition and participation from 12 January to 6 February. Here, the BBKs served as a digital participation tool for the INSEK surveys. On site, around 600 visitors gathered information in person at the city forum and engaged in dialogue with experts from the offices. The aim was to work with citizens to define the strategic priorities for the development of Dresdenover the next ten years. The Integrated Urban Development Concept (INSEK) is the strategic plan for the development of Dresdens. It sets out the goals and measures for topics such as housing, mobility and the environment to ensure that our city remains liveable.

From 6 March to 6 April, a BBK is regularly in action at MobiVote. Since 2021, the Office for Urban Planning and Mobility has been developing the Dresden Mobility Plan 2035+ with the intensive involvement of the MOBIdialogue and broad public participation. Before the city council makes a decision, it is once again up to the urban community. For this reason, a comprehensive vote will be held online and on site in the city forum. The Dresden Mobility Plan 20235+ team invited people to take part in a dialogue at the City Forum. Here, interested parties were able to cast their votes at the BBK, sometimes in dialogue with the team.

And as a small success story, it should also be mentioned that, based on the experience with and enthusiasm for the BBKs, another BBK has already been purchased within the city administration and will soon be in use. We will reveal who the new member of the BBK family is in the next newsletter.

Contact person for the citizen participation kiosks at TSP, pilot project Smart City Dresden :

Andreas Willliger, Digital Citizen Participation Coordinator
Citizen Affairs Department, Office for Urban Strategy, International Affairs and Citizenship
Mail: beteiligen@dresden.de or smart-participation@ dresden.de
Phone: 0351-488 2040

Citizen participation in the city administration Dresden - overview via self-check

Citizen participation is carried out in many departments of the city administration Dresden on a wide variety of topics and in a wide variety of formats. Networking meetings are held on a regular basis to exchange information between the people responsible.

But is it really transparent which participation formats and procedures exist in the organisational units? Do we know who holds the competences? And what resources, tools or software are available in the city administration for citizen participation?

As part of our "Toolbox Smart Participation" programme, we are investigating these questions by conducting interviews with key people on the topic of citizen participation within the state capital Dresden. This allows the organisational units to carry out a kind of "self-check", which reveals what citizen participation is already taking place and where there is a need. The results of this check create the basis for a broad overview of the participation activities in the city administration Dresden on the one hand, and should encourage other organisational units to engage in an even stronger exchange on the topic of citizen participation and to enter into citizen participation themselves with shared know-how and knowledge transfer.

Interested in a "self-check interview"? Then get in touch with us!

Contact for the self-check, toolbox Smart Participation, pilot project Smart City Dresden :

Sandra Behnisch, Officer
Department of Citizen Affairs, Office for Urban Strategy, International Affairs and Citizenship
Mail: smart-participation@dresden.de
Phone: 0351-488 2172