URBANITE General

The way in which this first SopoLab session in Amsterdam was framed as follows:

Drawing on conversations, desk research, interviews and individual discussions, the SoPoLab meetings included those who had participated in previous discussions to formally consider local attitudes, challenges, capacities and current contexts in relation to disruptive technologies and participatory mobility.

Other goals of these meetings were to:

Confirm a common understanding about the role, possibilities, and limits of URBANITE
Understand the challenges and risks the municipality faces with bike/urban mobility
Posi

Participatory processes are increasingly employed by governments to explore new opportunities for democratic citizen engagement. These processes go beyond voting, and allow citizens and other stakeholders (e.g. civil society organizations, governments, academia, and/or businesses) to take part in ideating, debating, and implementing initiatives in the public sphere. In participatory approaches, citizens are invited to go beyond voting and contribute to drafting proposals, debating them, and implementing them in collaboration with local governments and other stakeholders.

Participatory budgetin...
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The philosophy that lies behind the Social Policy Labs (SOPO Lab) is based on the ability to involve diverse actors with different expertise’s, skills, experiences, motivations and limitations to be engaged in a collective and shared process that will allow to test multiple small-scale solutions that can lead to solve complex problems. The methodology that will be used in the lab will also facilitate the sharing of experiences and best practices. During the lifespan of the SOPO Lab, relations of trust, empathy and support will be cultivated with the aim to extend the reach of the project and e...
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The term ’disruptive technology’ is often framed in glowing terms, along with utopian promises from a market-centred ‘Silicon Valley’ perspective. Under this lens, disruptive technology is about upending existing business models and power structures, with the suggestion that this disruption benefits people’s lives. When considered in terms of society and governance, however, we must observe the effects of disruptions on our daily lives and challenge the assumption that they are ‘good’ – have disruptions like Uber and ‘smart cities’ really made life better in our cities? Or do such disruptions ...
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URBANITE General

URBANITE General

First SoPoLab Session in Amsterdam

Disruptive Methods in Participation and Governance - the case of Participatory Democracy

What are Social Policy Labs (SOPO Labs) in URBANITE?

What is disruptive technology?

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