Public Square: Conversations in Democracy

On the campaign trail in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, future Mayor Danene Sorace heard that residents felt invisible in local decision-making. Sorace promised to make resident engagement a core function of city government and true to her word, she created the Office of Neighborhood Engagement immediately after taking office. 

Now reflecting on two terms in office, Mayor Sorace says that engaging residents in the decisions that affect their lives has helped grow their trust, ensuring that engagement isn’t just a campaign, but part of the city’s culture.

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When the City of St Louis lost its much-loved football team, the Rams, the litigation resulted in a $250 million-dollar settlement fund. The city had to decide how to spend it, so they took that decision to the city's residents, in what our guest Yusuf Daneshyar calls an act of “co-legislation”.

Yusuf is the Director of Communications for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan E. Green. In this episode, he explains the design and strategy for this public participation process, some of the more surprising – and quite touching – budget priorities chosen by St Louis residents, and the city's long-term vision for legislating in partnership with the public.

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The Danish capital Copenhagen recently launched a resident proposals initiative that saw 12,000 residents participate in just 4 months. The project, which is ongoing, has already sparked a number of proposals that have led to changes to the city's policy agenda.

Project Manager Aja Faurschou Enghoff speaks to our host, Wietse Van Ransbeeck, about running an inclusive proposals process that engages a broad range of perspectives while keeping the most vocal minorities in check.

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Bureaucracy can often stand in the way of meaningful connections between communities and the institutions that serve them. But what if there was a way to bridge that gap?
With Adrienne Lever, Director of the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit in New York City (US), we discussed how we can humanize government and build stronger communities, sharing insights on effective approaches to community outreach and its vital role in ensuring access to resources. We also explore the delicate balance between embracing innovation and safeguarding responsible practices within government initiatives.

This podcast episode takes us into the heart of London's Borough of Newham, introducing us to the innovative People Powered Places program. Guests Sadia Ur-Rehman and Amélie Pollet, the dynamic duo behind the initiative, talk us through Newham's significant participatory budgeting project of 1.6 mio GBP. In our conversation, Sadia and Amelie discuss their strategies for communicating about project delivery, maintaining close involvement with political leaders, and conducting user testing to co-design processes on our platform.