Hi there! This website as collector for folks who are interested in the idea of bringing Participatory City to Seattle, and to focus any energy that could bring it to fruition.
Are you excited or curious to learn more or have some ideas how about the make this happen? Let’s talk! Please fill out the contact form below and we will connect.
Want to learn more about Participatory City? Read on!
Participatory City is an UK-based model that creates a large-scale, radically inclusive, participatory social infrastructure. The folks at Participatory City have done the homework to identify the barriers that keep people from starting or participating in community-led initiatives, and then created a support system to help grow a “participatory ecosystem” of low-threshold/low-committment opportunities for civic engagement.
Participatory City works by creating a support structure that allows local residents to co-create thousands of practical, enjoyable activities close to where people live, built into the fabric of everyday life, and generating community wealth. This large-scale neighborhood platform cultivates agency, curiosity, and purpose among residents of diverse backgrounds to exchange, learn and share with one another.
For example, within its first two years, Participatory City’s flagship project has involved over 5,000 people in over 130 projects, generating 28,000 hours of shared time together. It has manifested in spaces where residents can cook together or develop food businesses; workshop spaces for making, repairing and learning things; festivals and knowledge-sharing events, and more.
If you would like to learn more, Participatory City has a lot of great resources on its website. I would especially recommend the Illustrated Guide to Participatory City
Also, check out the video below for a good overview.
Participatory City has partnered its work with top-notch data-driven research. Their data shows incredible successes: increased community health, reduced inequality, combatted gentrification, decreased isolation, and more.
Participatory City has demonstrated that our economic, public, and political health is intrinsically linked to our place-based connections to each other.
We are working on figuring that out! Participatory City will mostly likely happen through a coalition of philanthropic, government and organizational partners.
We are actively working on securing development funding to help build partnerships, cover incidental expenses, develop budgets and refine work plans.
Perhaps we can get a group of civic leaders to travel to England to see this first hand? Who wants to join us?
Participatory City Seattle is currently a small group of passionate volunteers who are donating their time and energy. We are a mix of seasoned professionals with significant experience with non-profit operations, organizational and business development, community engagement, and racial and social justice advocacy.
We are still looking for help. In particular, smart people with skills, time and passion. And we need lots of funding to get this going.
Participatory City is one of the most exciting and innovative initiatives we have seen, and we believe it holds much promise in reversing our nation’s increasing polarization, tribalism, loneliness, and disconnection. Creating connection and belonging in the places where we live is part of the solution. The neighborhood is the unit of change. Participatory City has zeroed in on what it takes.
We know that big ideas often get started with something as small as a conversation, or a placeholder website. So here we are.
Interested? Let’s talk!