In 2017 DuneWorks and Bart Cosijn were invited as external advisors by the municipality of Amsterdam to research participatory democracy in Amsterdam. The objective was twofold, first to gain an insight in the motivation, activities and struggles of participatory initiatives. Secondly, to gain a broader idea of how local residents perceive local democracy and their opportunities to engage in a meaningful manner. We conducted 10 in-depth interviews with initiators of participatory initiatives. In addition, three round table events were organized for which local residents were invited to discuss and propose ideas to innovate local participatory democracy.

This project was commissioned by alderman Choho (Sustainability, Public Space and Green, Public Administration). The outcomes will be used as input for a policy proposal to strengthen participatory democracy.