🏙️ 3 new cities! Announcing the DemNext Cities Programme

We are thrilled to officially announce the launch of DemocracyNext’s Cities Programme!

Following the publication of Six ways to democratise city planning in February, we held an open application process for cities to express their interest in partnering with DemocracyNext. We received more than 20 applications from civil society organisations, mayors, urban planners, public engagement departments, and individuals from cities in 17 countries globally.

After extensive interviews and conversations with the applicants, we are excited to announce that we are working with Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg), Kerewan (The Gambia), and Vilnius (Lithuania).

While each city presents a unique set of conditions, challenges, and opportunities, the issues they face are felt in many places around the world—from affordable housing, to ecosystem restoration and land management, urban mobility, and the regeneration of ageing infrastructure and neighbourhoods.

For months, we’ve been organising conversations with key actors in each city to lay the groundwork for success. These conversations have helped to tease out each city’s specific challenges. DemNext staff met with local officials in Vilnius and Esch-sur-Alzette over the summer, and held a public event in Esch-sur-Alzette to present and discuss the upcoming assembly.

“I am thrilled to announce that Vilnius is set to host its very first Citizens' Assembly on urban development!” said Laura Kairienė, Chief Architect of Vilnius City Municipality. “This is a momentous occasion for our city as we embark on a journey to engage our community in shaping the future of our urban spaces. The Vilnius assembly will bring together residents, experts, and stakeholders to collaborate on innovative ideas, guiding the sustainable and inclusive growth of Vilnius, with the voice of its citizens at the heart of every decision.”

“The history of the city of Esch-sur-Alzette has been written by its citizens; therefore it seems essential to implicate them further in its future development,”said Christian Weiss, Mayor of Esch-sur-Alzette. “I’m confident that the collaboration between the City of Esch-sur-Alzette and DemocracyNext will open new perspectives through the voices of the people, forging the path towards a local decision-making process guided by the needs and expectations of the citizens.”

Vilnius and Esch-sur-Alzette, approx. populations 540,000 and 36,000 respectively, are committed to this being more than a one-off initiative. Later phases of this collaboration will determine the best way to institutionalise Citizens' Assemblies in both contexts.

In Kerewan, The Gambia, DemocracyNext will collaborate with the international non-profit Civic and their local team to design and implement a Citizens’ Assembly as part of a larger effort across the Sahel region known as the Great Green Wall initiative, together with the African Union. This assembly builds on Civic’s ongoing work in The Gambia over the last two years, which included seven assemblies in multiple districts across the country. The project involves tackling large-scale land degradation by building green infrastructure across the width of the African continent through the restoration of local ecosystems and sustainable farming techniques to ensure that subsistence farmers can continue making a living off the land. Kerewan, where the assembly will take place, is the administrative centre of the North Bank Region — an area with a population of about 225,000.

“Civic and the Great Green Wall Frontline movement are thrilled to collaborate with DemocracyNext to host a Citizen’s Assembly in Kerewan for restoring the fragile ecosystems of The Gambia's North Bank Region,” said Maimuna Jabbie, Executive Director, Great Green Wall Frontline, The Gambia. “By finding new ways to work together, we can unlock the power of deep collaboration, address the interconnected ecological, social and economic challenges, and co-create solutions for both people and nature. This Citizen’s Assembly will be a vital step towards innovating and scaling systemic interventions that serve frontline communities in the most holistic way.”

The first stage of this programme begins on 9 October 2024, when we will kick off a nine-module Citizens’ Assembly Learning Programme where the project teams in each city, along with key stakeholders and local organisations, will connect weekly with DemocracyNext. Drawing on our Assembling an Assembly Guide, we’ll break down the steps of setting up and implementing a deliberative assembly with the specific design considerations for each step. Each module will cover a key part of the process with examples and experiences shared by international guest speakers. 

Once the cities have completed the learning programme, we will co-design a Citizens’ Assembly for their context, also covering how it will be institutionalised.

We look forward to kicking this programme off with an incredible group of cities and with three teams of people dedicated to taking this bold step to democratise city planning! Find more details on our website.

We’re hiring!

We're on the lookout for two people to join our small but mighty team - please take a look and share with your networks! The deadline is 6 October 2024 for both roles.

—Programme Coordinator - working on our Cities Programme (PDF)

—Associate - to help us develop our Learning Programme (PDF)

📡 What’s on our radar:

• 🇩🇪 Burgerrat.de reports that the German city of Lüneburg is establishing a permanent Citizens’ Jury! As local mayor Claudia Kalisch said, “Not everyone can or wants to get involved in party politics. But most people want to have a say, help shape and decide.” Some 600 randomly selected residents will receive initial invitations and the jury will begin meeting next summer. More details here.
• 🤸♂️ Our friends a KNOCA have published a guide to Children and Young People’s Participation in Climate Assemblies. The document analyses assemblies at the national, city and community levels in nine different countries, and shares best practices on to include the voices of children and young people in decision-making. Details at KNOCA.
• Oregon Program Lead Josh Burgess, along with Bend Mayor Pro Tem Megan Perkins, spoke about the Deschutes Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness with Oregon NPR host Michael Dunne. Tune in here. Our next newsletter will share an inside-look at the first weekend of the assembly’s deliberations, which just took place.
• 🎧 DemNext Founder/CEO Claudia Chwalisz recently spoke with Christian Mastrodonato on the Engines of Creation Podcast, touching on everything from how to create a deliberative space to the concept of social acceleration as theorised by Hartmut Rosa. Listen here.
• 🇨🇦 In the province of Yukon, Canada, a Citizens’ Assembly of 38 people drawn from 19 electoral districts has proposed moving to a ranked-choice voting system. Dig in on the assembly’s official website or learn more here.
• The BBC reports on a citizens’ jury on the subject of assisted dying in England. The 28 members, in an assembly set up by Nuffield Council on Bioethics, have “backed a change in the law to allow people who are terminally ill to end their life.” The jury has no legal powers. More here.
• 📅 Upcoming speaking engagements and events: A reminder that you can always find these on our website! Claudia Chwalisz will attend virtually the upcoming Democracy Innovation Congress, while Cities Programme Lead James MacDonald-Nelson will head to Cairo for the World Urban Forum in November.