Toolbox Smart Participation
Smart digital public participation as a complement to traditional forms of participation
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Introduction
Smart Participation means smart participation. Public participation is a great way to open up social debate and give people at Dresden a voice in shaping the future.
The aim
To reach today’s diverse and mobile urban society, participatory formats must be intelligently developed further, both in analogue and digital forms. They should be accessible, flexible, have a broad impact and be open to a range of topics. The ‘Toolbox Smart Participation’ is trialling new formats of public participation for Dresden.
Smart Government
Focus
in progress
Project status
2022–2026
Duration
The whole city
Place of use
800,000 euros
Project budget
Toolbox Smart Participation
Key information
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How will the project benefit the local community?
With the ‘Toolbox Smart Participation’ we are offering the people of Dresden the chance to trial new forms of public participation. This gives Dresden’s residents the opportunity to get involved in current issues that matter to them, both within their own neighbourhoods and across the city, and to share their personal views.
How does the project improve everyday life?
The people of Dresden are best placed to understand the challenges and problems in their own neighbourhoods and local areas. Early and effective public participation ensures that local residents, in particular, are kept informed and given a say in shaping their local communities.
What new opportunities are there?
For example, ‘citizen participation kiosks’ (BBKs) have been purchased; these are used on a permanent basis across the city for surveys, public participation or simply to provide information on various topics. These come in three large and three smaller mobile versions, with the larger citizen participation kiosks primarily based at the Stadtforum.
How can I take part?
The use of new digital tools is making the processing of citizens’ enquiries by the local authority more efficient and more transparent for the people of Dresden. Through various information portals, such as here at dresden.de, interested parties can find out about upcoming opportunities for public participation and events – such as networking workshops, discussion forums and similar initiatives – register for them and thus play an active part.
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WISSENSARCHITEKTUR TU DresdenDigital complements analogue
The project “Toolbox Smart Participation” aims to strengthen citizen participation in Dresden through a smart combination of digital and analogue participation opportunities. This applies both within the local authority – in terms of fostering the capacity for participation – and outside it, through a citizen-friendly range of smart participation opportunities.
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Jürgen MännelThe City Forum and ‘AGORA’
In 2025, the AGORA was established within the City Forum: a central hub for dialogue between the local authority and civil society. In addition, the ‘AGORA Toolkit’ enables mobile, city-wide deployment across the neighbourhoods and districts at Dresden. The AGORA is a physical space where the local authority and civil society can engage in dialogue.
Until summer 2025, the‘Citizens’ Lab’at the Neues Rathaus on Kreuzstraße was used to explore the potential of physical spaces for dialogue. Following the refurbishment of the Neues Rathaus, this will once again be possible from 2031 onwards with the Citizens’ Lab (as a branch of AGORA).
Toolbox Smart Participation
Benefits for the economy
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Why is Smart Participation important for the economy?
The ‘Toolbox Smart Participation’ serves as a pilot project to test smart ways of improving digital civic participation, thereby providing new impetus for innovation within the business sector to engage with its local target groups.
How does the economy benefit from the project?
For the local business community, the interests of the public are important – not just as a target group or as customers. Depending on the issue at hand, the results of the ‘ Smart Participation’ toolbox will be very useful for the local business community.
What new opportunities are emerging?
Sustainable urban development requires not only better communication between the local authority and civil society, but also between the local authority and the local business community. The ‘Toolbox Smart Participation’ will contribute to this in the area of public participation.
How can companies get involved?
Local stakeholders can be involved in relevant participatory processes to share their experiences. Relevant stakeholders will be involved in developing the ‘Dresden Digital Citizen Participation’ concept.
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AdobeStock l PascalSmarte Investment Model
The Toolbox explores citizen participation for all target groups. Through the systematic analysis and evaluation of participation processes, insights are gained that contribute to the development of innovative communication methods and tools.
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AdobeStock l peopleimages.comCreating synergies
SmartThese forms of participation create synergies between public administration and the business sector. Companies can benefit from the experience gained in citizen participation and develop new approaches to engaging their target groups.
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AdobeStock l SprintZzData-driven decisions
Targeted surveys and analyses of residents’ concerns provide valuable data for collaborative urban development. In future, this data can also be incorporated into the economic development of Dresden.
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AdobeStock l peopleimages.comInnovative work processes
Real-world laboratories are used to test new digital tools designed to help all stakeholders from business, academia, public administration and civil society to better coordinate their respective interests.
Toolbox Smart Participation
Scientific project management
KNOWLEDGE ARCHITECTURE – Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture ( Dresden Technical University)
KNOWLEDGE ARCHITECTURE – Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture is a research group at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Dresden. As an interdisciplinary think tank, it conducts research, provides consultancy and develops approaches to issues relating to Smart City at the interface between planning and design sciences and the humanities and social sciences.
The TUD’s Knowledge Architecture unit develops its own participatory tools, such as the co-design tool U_CODE, and tests the effectiveness of tools and formats in public participation workshops directly within the model neighbourhoods. The needs and ideas of the local population are analysed and communicated to the city administration.
Our Smart
City team
Marko Beger
Dresden, State Capital
Department for Urban Strategy, International Affairs and Citizenship
- Telephone
- 0351-4882069
- mbeger@dresden.de
Anja Jannack
Dresden Technical University
KNOWLEDGE ARCHITECTURE - Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture
- Telephone
- 0351-46332210