Elected officials make decisions that affect millions of people, but beyond voting every few years, what say do citizens really have?
Maybe democracy needs a tune-up.
Citizens’ Assemblies – a sort of lottery promising better representation – bring diverse voices to the table.
Copenhagen, Denmark, has already given it a go. People were frustrated with the municipality’s decision to build an artificial island off the coast of the city without consulting them. Seeking a fairer way to have their voices heard, they set up a Citizens’ Assembly to influence their city more directly.
Along the way, perspectives changed in surprising ways, but the question remains: can an unelected cross-section of society really be called upon to solve our cities’ most urgent challenges?
Featuring: Johan Galster, James Macdonald-Nelson
Produced by Mariano Trevino, narrated by Karl Dickinson.
Useful Links
You can learn more about the Citizens’ Assembly on Lynetteholm with this report from We Do Democracy.
There’s more guidance from Democracy Next on how to democratise city planning processes on their website.
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