Smarticipate

WeLoveTheCity is also engaged in the development of tools for better cities. Smarticipate is a striking example of this. The idea is simple: a resident wants more trees in her street and enters this in the Smarticipate App. The resident automatically receives real-time feedback: “Your street is indeed very stony and planting trees is a good idea. However, there is one but: you have placed the trees exactly on a gas pipe…” The resident had never been aware of ‘invisible’ gas pipes but is not discouraged by them. She draws an alternative on the Smarticipate App which she then shares via social media. Her neighbours react enthusiastically, which stimulates her to share the tree proposal with the municipality via the app.

Smarticipate is part of the European innovation programme ‘ICT-enabled Open Government’ (INSO-1-2015) with Hamburg, Rome and London as pilots. In these cities, WeLoveTheCity acted as a bridge builder between ICT developers, municipal services and citizens. Our Smartathons attracted over 750 participants who were eager to help make Smarticipate relevant, user-friendly and democratic.

WeLoveTheCity perfectly bridged the gap between participation, ICT and urban planning, and together we were able to gather and connect the knowledge of citizens and experts. The cooperation has also led to better working methods within our team, because WeLoveTheCity has clearly shown what is important to citizens and what is not.

Joanna Hammond, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Democratic? The Smarticipate App is strictly speaking not an app but an open digital platform on which anyone can develop his or her own app (or ‘topic’). For this reason, WeLoveTheCity wrote the guide ‘Grab your potential: How to create a new app’. The DIYers in Hamburg chose to make a Tree App, those in Rome and London an Urban Gardening App and a 3D Transformation App. And you know what the best part is? Everything works! So keep on up and make your own app for a better city.