The scoping report Open Governance in the Smart City was launched alongside the “Manifesto on Citizen Engagement” by ICLEI Europe Regional Director Wolfgang Teubner at a ceremony in Brussels (Belgium) on 23 November. The report, which was produced as part of the EU-funded smarticipate project, provides an overview of how cities are using smart technology to enhance governance processes.

Three questions are explored by the report: What is open governance in the smart city? How do cities make use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Open Governance? What are the risks, opportunities and lessons learnt for the use of ICT in open governance? To find the answers, the authors examined the ICT activities of 11 cities in both Europe and further abroad. Amsterdam's Datapunt platform, which aims to make Open Data more accessible to citizens, is detailed, along with Decide Madrid, a one-stop shop for all open governance processes run by the city, including a city wide participatory budgeting system.

Tirana's Ime tool, which allows citizens to easily report issues in the city to the administration is looked at, as is Smart Chicago Collaborative, a non-profit organisation that promotes civic tech in the American city. Based on the analysis of the cases, the report provides seven “recommendations”, or things to be considered by cities when using ICT in open governance processes.

To read the document, click here.