meinBerlin is the official digital participation platform of the Berlin city government, enabling residents to engage directly in urban planning processes, policy consultations, and participatory budgeting decisions through an accessible online interface. The platform hosts a wide range of participation procedures from all twelve Berlin districts and the city-wide Senate administration, covering topics such as neighbourhood development plans, public space redesigns, mobility concepts, school construction programmes, and climate action strategies. Citizens can view proposals, submit comments and suggestions, vote on ideas, and follow the progress of projects they care about. meinBerlin represents a cornerstone of Berlin's commitment to transparent, inclusive, and digitally enabled democratic governance. The platform was developed using the open-source participation software adhocracy+, created by the Berlin-based Liquid Democracy association, ensuring that the city's digital democracy infrastructure is built on transparent, community-developed technology rather than proprietary platforms. Since its launch, meinBerlin has hosted hundreds of participation processes and engaged tens of thousands of Berlin residents, making it one of the most active municipal digital participation platforms in Germany. The platform's design prioritises accessibility, with features including plain language descriptions, multilingual support, and responsive mobile design to ensure that participation opportunities are available to all Berlin residents regardless of age, language, or digital literacy level. meinBerlin connects to Berlin's Gemeinsam Digital smart city strategy, which positions participatory governance as a fundamental principle of urban digital transformation. The platform demonstrates that smart city development is not only about technology and data but equally about empowering citizens to shape the decisions that affect their neighbourhoods and city. It serves as a model for other German and European cities developing their own digital participation infrastructure.
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