Cities must plan and develop their urban areas. City governments worldwide face a growing challenge to balance growth with social welfare. Recent trends in urban development also emphasize citizen participation and democracy.
FREMONT, CA: The use of digital technologies to encourage citizen involvement, also known as e-participation or digital participation, is becoming more widespread, and the majority of larger cities do so by utilizing ICT and new media. Social media, virtual networks, content creation tools, and sharing websites are a few examples of this. It's also possible that limitations on in-person gatherings and the Covid-19 outbreak boosted demand for these technologies. New developments in digital involvement promise to improve two-way communication between residents and local governments and expand citizens' chances to participate actively in public decision-making. Academics, business titans, and decision-makers are praising digital technologies' democratizing potential.
There are several ways in which cities use ICT and new media, with "e-decision-making" involving citizen participation in actual policymaking and "e-consultation" involving citizen participation in discussion and contributions to public policies without participation in actual decision-making. The final form varies as expected. Different political-administrative and social environments accept and use e-participation.
Citizens are motivated to participate in urban development processes because it has an impact on their daily life. However, methods for urban development frequently take into account the competing interests of various groups. Thus, legitimacy and representativeness become particularly crucial. Gentrification, which increases the area's appeal to the tourist industry and to middle-class citizens, frequently occurs after poor neighborhoods in major city districts are improved. However, it also results in increased rents and a greater cost of living, which drives out residents from the working class and immigrants. The living conditions of residents are significantly impacted by gentrification. The field of urban development is contentious.
Digital tools can promote civic engagement and support citizen self-organization. Additionally, it can lower participation barriers, advance equity and inclusion, and foster close ties between residents, elected officials, and other policymakers. It can also lower the expenses associated with crowdsourcing and citizen consultation for city administration. However, it has yet to materialize anticipation that digital technologies will inspire new citizen groups and enhance city-citizen dialogue. Experience has shown that the drawbacks or difficulties of traditional participation, such as the exclusion of politically marginalized groups, the promotion of two-way communication between citizens and policymakers, and the denial of citizens' influence over policy decisions, are frequently present in digital participation.
Participatory governance and citizen participation are not new concepts. Cities that already have a formalized institutionalized citizen involvement practice will adopt and utilize digital participatory instruments. Therefore, digital participation can signify the digitalization of existing participatory opportunities and the continuing of current behaviors.
