October 22, 2021
When it comes to urban data use, many debates are dominated by abstract horror stories of the smart city. Dystopian examples of data use such as China’s social credit system or non-transparent and purely profit-oriented data trading by large corporations in many countries are what scare citizens instead of giving them the courage to change through digitalization. Our plea is therefore: A smart city must be designed with the ideas of its citizens – not over their heads. It is crucial to actively and transparently involve citizens in processes of strategic data use. This is the only way to strengthen the trust of individuals in municipal institutions and their democratic nature. In an open, liberal society that is increasingly digitized, even the smallest part of this society should have the opportunity to help shape urban development “from the bottom up” within the framework of digital participation.
What is digital citizen participation anyway?
Citizen participation in general refers to the involvement of citizens in shaping the community. In Germany, citizens have been involved in public decision-making in various ways since the 1970s. Today, the public’s call to have a say is louder than ever. In some areas of urban design, the will of citizens already plays a pioneering role. It is particularly often asked for in real planning and construction processes, also against the backdrop of recent construction disasters such as Stuttgart 21 or Berlin’s BER airport. Since the 2010s, cities have increasingly been offering the opportunity to involve citizens in the decision-making process online via an app or browser using e-participation platforms. But it is not only in this form that digitalization is paving new ways to motivate more people to participate in shaping digital and real communities.
What forms of digital participation are there?
The field of digital participation is still young. “Classic” formats are the municipal e-participation platforms for urban development mentioned above. Berlin, for example, has developed the “mein.berlin.de” platform together with the Liquid Democracy association, while Hamburg has developed the “DIPAS” (Digital Participation System) platform together with HafenCity University. Such platforms include functions such as crowdmapping (map-based collection) of ideas or problems as well as participatory budgeting, location-based surveys, interactive events or joint brainstorming. More innovative forms of e-participation platforms also offer opportunities to plan buildings and districts in a simple and entertaining way through playful elements (“gamification”). On the “Streetmix” website, for example, you can use a digital construction kit to design your own optimal street cross-section – or redesign your own neighborhood in 3D using the “U_CODE” (Urban Collective Design Environment) platform. Another form of digital participation are community or citizen apps. One example of this is Fraunhofer IESE’s “Digital Villages” platform – a large package of apps, platforms and websites for digital village communities. Functions include a topic-based chat room with a search function (Dorffunk), a newsroom with a citizen reporter function (Dorfnews) or a local online marketplace, similar to Ebay classifieds, with a voluntary neighborhood delivery system. The “Digitaler” serves as an incentive for using the app, which can be used as currency in participating stores, for example. Crowdsourcing of data has developed alongside active digital participation. In an urban context, this means that citizens (“the crowd”) collect data themselves for a specific purpose. The “goodcitylife” group from London, for example, collected data together with volunteers in various projects in order to develop maps that depict the emotions of citizens (“happy maps”) or their noise experience (“chatty maps”) in the urban space. In the “meingrün” research project, the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, the city of Heidelberg and the city of Dresden have also developed a routing app that shows the best way to experience nature instead of the shortest route. The app is constantly being optimized with data from citizens themselves.
Which data & information generated by digital participation?
The data generated by digital participation is diverse. In contrast to sensor data of a quantitative nature, qualitative data in particular is generated – i.e. data on perceived local qualities such as soundscapes, accessibility, individual feelings of safety, environmental influences such as heat or cold, stench or dust. Tracking data from cyclists or passers-by on their own routes or self-developed 3D models for urban design can also be generated. Crowdmapping and surveys are used to generate maps or lists of citizens’ local needs. Chronicles and picture galleries are also possible, reflecting social life in a neighborhood, local art or cultural projects, for example. Such data is much closer to the reality of citizens’ lives than sensor data and therefore has a direct impact on the local quality of life. However, they are not currently recorded systematically or comprehensively, as they are usually only generated on a project basis and for a limited period of time.
How can citizen-generated data be utilized?
Citizen-generated data can be processed and published once. However, they become particularly interesting when they are also linked, analyzed and interpreted. Linking quantitative sensor data with qualitative participation data, for example forecasting models in traffic planning supplemented by “soft” factors from pedestrians, can help to make a model more realistic overall. Images of the street space classified by people can in turn help AI algorithms to classify soft factors in urban life and thus bring these algorithms one step closer to the reality of citizens’ lives. Another possible use is the integration of localized citizen needs into municipal BIM (Building Information Modelling) models or development plans, for example, so that urban planners can plan in a seamlessly integrated manner.
How can citizen-generated data be integrated into a smart city ecosystem?
There are already numerous projects that collect data generated by citizens and use it (for a limited time). However, in order to use this data permanently and continuously for urban development geared towards the common good, it must be linked to other data and put into context. This task can be performed by open urban data platforms, for example, which also break down data silos here. Another aspect of success for digital participation is the creation of appropriate municipal governance structures. However, it is also important in future that participation does not take place solely in the digital space, but that any participation mechanisms are seen as a supplement to existing formats. The focus is always on creating transparency, comprehensibility and trust for citizens in the context of shaping a city for all.
If you have any further questions on this topic or the article, please contact David Hick!