Introducing two brand-new digital platforms for greater transparency and citizen participation (FRPA0002)

Commitment ID

FRPA0002

Commitment Title

Introducing two brand-new digital platforms for greater transparency and citizen participation

Problem

Despite a strong commitment from both the Parisian executive and civil society, the City of Paris' digital platforms failed to take full account of citizens' opinions and proved slow to reach new audiences.

Status quo

The City of Paris' existing tools for citizen participation encounter limitations:
- Multiple digital platforms, leading to a lack of visibility for Parisians.
- Uneven citizen participation depending on consultations and topics.
- Numerous networks of citizen participation in Paris often disconnected from one another: citizens, non-profit organizations, community groups, Climate Volunteers, the Solidarity Factory network, etc.
- A lack of clear, transparent rules for incorporating citizens' opinions beyond the scope of consultations.

Action

Building 2 unique digital platforms for the City of Paris:
- Décider pour Paris (decide for Paris): This platform is a collaborative way for Parisians to submit and improve their ideas. The platform brings together all the public consultations organized by the city and its borough councils. It also lays down new rules for processing ideas and comments: if proposals reach 1,500 votes of approval, residents have an automatic right to call on the City, which in turn commits to studying these projects.
- Agir pour Paris (act for Paris): The purpose of this platform is to facilitate Parisians' ability to get in touch with others and take action, by pooling all local initiatives to engage in Paris-related projects. The platform features a selection of projects by date, location, and area (environment, solidarity, sport, leisure, education, etc.). It works to network citizens, associations, collectives, neighborhood groups, and Paris Volunteers.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

There are three main objectives for this commitment:
- Improved access to information through an inventory of all participation processes on projects to transform the city, including the most strategic consultations for the City of Paris (e.g., the review of the Climate Plan);
- Increased citizen participation in Parisian democracy, whether giving their opinion (by means of comments or petitions) or getting involved (as a volunteer).
- Improved integration of citizen participation in the making of political decisions, with the introduction of a right to call on the City of Paris.
- Better control of user data, as the platforms are developed on Lutèce, the open-source tool developed by the City of Paris and hosted on the City's servers.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

Over time, this commitment should result in greater citizen participation and better account of citizens' opinions on all of the City of Paris' public policies,  within the framework of a pre-existing public consultation or otherwise.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, E-petitions

Primary Sector

Cross-sectoral

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?