CitizenLab is a citizen participation platform. We help cities and local governments be more transparent and shape better policies by involving citizens in the decision-making processes.
Mission and Purpose
CitizenLab's mission is to reinforce local democracies by increasing legitimacy and efficiency through citizen participation. We believe that be including citizens in the decision-making processes, cities and local governments can increase trust in governments and shape better policies.
Origins and Development
CitizenLab was created in 2015 and is located in Brussels. It has developed a citizen participation platform used by cities, governments and civil organisations which is used to collect and analyse citizen input.
Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding
CitizenLab is a for-profit company based in Belgium. Cities, local government or civil organisations who use the platform purchase a yearly license.
Specializations, Methods and Tools
Cities and governments can use the platform to consult citizens on a range of different topics. The platform combines a top down approach (with administrators posting projects that participants can vote for) with a bottom-up approach (citizens can submit ideas, comment on the proposals and debate with one-another).
Another important feature of the platform is its integrated data analysis capability. It has developed Natural Language Processing algorithms which can easily process thousands of unstructured, multi-lingual citizen input. Comments can be automatically classified, clustered and located on a map, making it easy for administrators to see at a glance what topics are being discussed on the platform and how this varies across a city or region.
Major Projects and Events
CitizenLab has worked with over 100 cities and governments, from small Belgian municipalities such as Arlon to major cities like Vancouver, CA.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
Publications
https://www.citizenlab.co/resources
See Also
References
https://www.citizenlab.co/case-studies