About this challenge
Hungary
Challenge description
While Budapest’s 18th District has pioneered several participatory and deliberative initiatives in recent years, these efforts have largely relied on in-person engagement. A key challenge now is to expand citizen participation into the digital sphere, ensuring that all residents, regardless of age, mobility, or availability, can take part in local decision-making.
The objective is to design and pilot an innovative digital deliberation platform that allows citizens to propose, discuss and vote on local policy matters, directly influencing municipal actions in a transparent and inclusive way. The District already operates the City Card digital system (bp18.hu/varoskartya), which provides a verified user base and a technological foundation that could host new participatory functions. Building upon this infrastructure, the municipality seeks to integrate tools for collective decision-making, online consultations, and participatory voting. Relevant European examples show that digital deliberation can work effectively when accessibility and inclusiveness are ensured.
As a result of the City-to-City Exchange, the District will develop a digital deliberation framework adapted to its local context — potentially building on the existing City Card infrastructure. The platform would allow citizens to contribute ideas, discuss policy options, and express preferences in structured, transparent processes aligned with municipal decision-making cycles.
The initiative will strengthen trust between citizens and local government, enhance the legitimacy of public decisions, and demonstrate how digital democracy can function at neighbourhood scale within an EU urban governance model.
By learning from Nordic and other European examples, Budapest’s 18th District aspires to become a national pioneer of hybrid (online + offline) deliberative governance, supporting both social inclusion and technological innovation in local democracy.
The objective is to design and pilot an innovative digital deliberation platform that allows citizens to propose, discuss and vote on local policy matters, directly influencing municipal actions in a transparent and inclusive way. The District already operates the City Card digital system (bp18.hu/varoskartya), which provides a verified user base and a technological foundation that could host new participatory functions. Building upon this infrastructure, the municipality seeks to integrate tools for collective decision-making, online consultations, and participatory voting. Relevant European examples show that digital deliberation can work effectively when accessibility and inclusiveness are ensured.
As a result of the City-to-City Exchange, the District will develop a digital deliberation framework adapted to its local context — potentially building on the existing City Card infrastructure. The platform would allow citizens to contribute ideas, discuss policy options, and express preferences in structured, transparent processes aligned with municipal decision-making cycles.
The initiative will strengthen trust between citizens and local government, enhance the legitimacy of public decisions, and demonstrate how digital democracy can function at neighbourhood scale within an EU urban governance model.
By learning from Nordic and other European examples, Budapest’s 18th District aspires to become a national pioneer of hybrid (online + offline) deliberative governance, supporting both social inclusion and technological innovation in local democracy.
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This city is looking for
The District aims to learn from peer cities that have already designed and implemented digital participation systems in the context of sustainable urban governance. The goal is to develop a scalable, secure, and inclusive digital platform that supports informed deliberation — not just one-click voting, but genuine discussion and co-creation around local issues such as waste management, mobility, or public space design.
Through the City-to-City Exchange, the District wishes to identify best practices in governance, technological infrastructure, citizen engagement strategies, and long-term sustainability of such systems.
The 18th District would benefit from knowledge exchange and guidance on:
• proven governance and technical models for digital participation platforms;
• mechanisms for ensuring transparency, data protection and accountability;
• tools to make digital deliberation accessible across social and age groups (addressing the digital divide);
• integration of digital participation into formal municipal decision-making structures;
• innovative outreach and motivation techniques to build active user communities (gamification, incentives, feedback loops).
Through the City-to-City Exchange, the District wishes to identify best practices in governance, technological infrastructure, citizen engagement strategies, and long-term sustainability of such systems.
The 18th District would benefit from knowledge exchange and guidance on:
• proven governance and technical models for digital participation platforms;
• mechanisms for ensuring transparency, data protection and accountability;
• tools to make digital deliberation accessible across social and age groups (addressing the digital divide);
• integration of digital participation into formal municipal decision-making structures;
• innovative outreach and motivation techniques to build active user communities (gamification, incentives, feedback loops).
City size
Towns (< 50,000 inhabitants)
Author
David Szebeni
Hungary
president
Hungarian Urban Development Association
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