Introducing local governments to the digital age

In 2015, our co-founders Wietse Van Ransbeeck, Aline Muylaert, and Koen Gremmelprez found themselves asking: what kind of communities do we want to live in? Initially motivated by a local busy intersection in desperate need of greenery and improved infrastructure, they turned to the internet for research and noticed they weren’t the only ones asking these questions. After realizing the complexity of working with local government offices, many of which still relied on traditional pen-and-paper communication, these young entrepreneurs decided to harness the opportunity in front of them: to build and activate digital communities to improve opportunities for community engagement, encourage transparent communication, and promote efficiency in local government.
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Today, CitizenLab platforms are being used in over 300+ communities across 18+ countries for everything from improving bike lanes and increasing green spaces to participatory budgeting and clean energy planning.