Toolbox Smart Participation

Intelligent digital citizen participation formats as a supplement to analog participation opportunities

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Introduction

Smart Participation means intelligent participation. Citizen participation is a great way to open up the social debate and give people in Dresden a voice to help shape it. In order to reach today's heterogeneous and mobile urban society, participation formats must be developed intelligently, both analog and digital. They should be low-threshold, flexible, broadly effective and thematically open.

The goal

As part of the project, the Smart Participation toolbox for Dresden aims to test new formats for citizen participation. A low-threshold, comprehensive participation of the population in urban issues is to be promoted by bundling digital and analog offerings. The processing of citizens' concerns and inquiries is to be made more efficient for the administration and more transparent for citizens through smarte work processes and digital support.

Smart Government

Focus topic

in implementation

Project status

2022-2026

Duration

En­tire city

Area of application

800.000 euros

Budget

Toolbox Smart Participation
The most important information

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What are the benefits of the project for the population?

With the toolbox Smart Participation, we offer Dresdeners the opportunity to test new participation formats. They have the opportunity to contribute their personal opinions and participate directly in their neighborhoods and throughout the city on current issues that affect citizens.

How does the project improve everyday life?

The people of Dresden know the challenges and problems in their residential areas and neighborhoods best. Involving citizens intelligently and at an early stage offers the opportunity to inform residents in particular and give them a voice in shaping the city.

What new possibilities are there?

Citizen participation kiosks" have been set up, which are used throughout the city for various topics. In addition to the already established "Citizens' Lab" at Kreuzstrasse 2, the "Citizens' Lab Toolkit" has been created, which enables the previously successfully tested participation formats of the Citizens' Lab to be used on a mobile, city-wide basis in the neighborhoods.

How can I participate?

Interested parties can use various information portals to register for upcoming participation opportunities as well as events such as networking workshops or similar and thus actively participate.
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WISSENSARCHITEKTUR TU Dresden

Digital complements analog

The "Toolbox Smart Participation" project aims to strengthen citizen participation in Dresden through an intelligent combination of digital and analog participation offerings. This applies both within the administration in terms of the ability to participate and outside the administration with a citizen-friendly range of intelligent participation opportunities.

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WISSENSARCHITEKTUR TU Dresden

Innovative participation formats

The WISSENSARCHITEKTUR - Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture at the TU Dresden develops its own participation tools such as the co-design tool U_CODE and tests the effectiveness of tools and formats such as citizen participation workshops in the model districts. The needs and ideas of the population are evaluated and communicated to the city administration.

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WISSENSARCHITEKTUR TU Dresden

Digital participation concept

The core of the project is the "Digital Citizen Participation Concept Dresden", which documents existing and newly tested participation formats and instruments. This concept is a model construction kit that is to be dynamically developed further for other participation topics and formats. This construction kit should also be usable and transferable for other municipalities.

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WISSENSARCHITEKTUR TU Dresden

The citizen lab format

The "Citizens' Lab" format is being tested on Kreuzstrasse near the New Town Hall. It is a physical location where administration, science and institutions can enter into an exchange with citizens (physically and digitally). As part of the project, the "Citizens' Lab" format will be further developed both in the City Forum and with the "Citizens' Lab Toolbox" in Dresden's districts and neighborhoods.

Toolbox Smart Participation
Benefits for the economy

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Why is Smart participation important for the economy?

Smart Participation is testing an intelligent improvement of digital citizen participation on a model basis, thereby creating new innovation impulses for the economy to involve its local target groups.

How does the economy benefit from the project?

The interests of citizens are important for the local economy, not just as a target group or customer. Depending on the topic, the participation results of the Smart Participation project can also be useful for the local economy.

What new opportunities are emerging?

Sustainable urban development not only requires better communication between the administration and citizens, but also between the administration and the local economy. The toolbox Smart Participation can contribute to this in the area of citizen participation.

How can companies get involved?

Thematically appropriate local economic players can be involved in corresponding participation processes to exchange experiences. Relevant stakeholders are involved in the development of the "Digital citizen participation Dresden" concept.
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Model Smarte Participation

Smart Participation serves as a model for improving citizen participation. Through the systematic analysis and evaluation of participation processes, insights are gained that can contribute to the development of innovative communication methods and tools.

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Create synergies

Smartricher participation formats create synergies between public administration and business. Companies can benefit from the experience gained in citizen participation and develop new approaches to involving their target groups.

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Data-driven decisions

Targeted surveys and analyses of citizens' concerns generate valuable data for cooperative urban development. In future, this data can also be incorporated into the economic development of Dresden.

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Innovative work processes

New digital tools are being tested in real-world laboratories to help all stakeholders from business, science, administration and citizens to better coordinate their respective interests.

Toolbox Smart Participation
Scientific project management

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WISSENSARCHITEKTUR - Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture (TU Dresden)

WISSENSARCHITEKTUR - Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture is a research group at the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University Dresden. As an interdisciplinary think tank, it researches, advises and shapes issues of Smart City at the interface between planning and design sciences with the humanities and social sciences.

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City team