Citizen-led Open Data for Participatory Urban Governance: Experiences from Germany, India and the Republic of Korea

Over the last decade, due to the technological innovations available to our cities, we have witnessed a transformational change in urban planning and governance practices. The ease of availability of datasets, IT solutions, online dashboards, etc. has facilitated cities to deliver efficient public services, enhancing the quality of life for the citizens. However, such efforts adapting a top-down implementation of digital initiatives based on techno-determinism, often result in limited citizen participation and democratic decision-making by social actors. Therefore, cities must move beyond a technocratic approach towards ‘Citizen-led technology’. Through a robust public-private collaboration and citizen participation, cities could achieve inclusive urbanization in alignment to SDG 11. In this context, this session shall aim to discuss varied experiences of open data practices taking experiences of three countries with different dynamics of urbanization and adaptation of digitalization in their cities, namely, Germany, India and the Republic of Korea as a starting point.

The Government of the Republic of Korea, has promoted the provision and use of public open data since 2013, aimed at creating a transparent government and encouraging collaboration and co-creation with various civic actors. Later in 2020, the 3rd Open Data Master Plan was announced, focusing on encouraging ‘citizen-led use of open data’ and creating new forms of civic collaboration. Korea is an interesting example of how open data policy has changed over time, which demonstrates the evolving phases from techno-driven top-down implementation to citizen-led usage of open data.

The Government of India announced the Smart Cities Mission program in 2015 to make better use of technology for urban management and governance. Within this program, the creation of a National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) focused on empowering citizens through responsive and participatory governance. This initiative institutionalized the culture of data in cities, however, the key focus remained on ‘people’, processes and platform, to build human resource capacities within government and engage communities in decision-making.

In the European Union, Germany represents the high diversity of open data agendas within its federal structures. While facing a reluctance in public administration due to property rights and privacy concerns at the beginning, the German federal states and cities show dynamics in balancing these concerns with opportunities for urban governance through the use of data. As a result, innovative practices emerged that combine legal and technological solutions for open data with prime examples of Hamburg, Bonn, and Berlin. The common ground of placing ‘people’ at the center of any policy and project allows for an exchange of experiences and potential pathways across cultural and socio-political contexts. The panelists shall share key lessons learnt and future solutions with the global audience.