Chamber Campaign (Bogotá - Colombia)

Bogotá is the capital of Colombia and has a population of about 7.5 million people. The city economy is developed and diversified. Its commercial and business activities are increasing significantly. The main financial and banking centres of Colombia are located in Bogotá.

During Bogotá’s chamber campaign of 2011 the candidates have used several online tools to involve and engage the citizens in the re-construction of city. Beyond face-to-face roundtables, the candidates used a broad sort of online tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, forums, blogs, and virtual questionnaires.

As a result, more than 10.000 citizens have been actively involved in the Chamber’s process and over 28 million hits have been made on websites about the campaign. The massive citizen participation gave light to five consensual proposals for the agenda of the next Mayor.

This initiative is innovative because it contributes to cultivate values like citizen participation and citizen engagement in the city policies. It is a good example of a citizen-driven initiative that provides a consensual way to build a smart city.

Although there is a risk of neglecting the citizens’ proposals because of personal or political interests, the initiative proved to be very valuable because it promotes consensus-building and decision-making, enriches social interactions,     gives voice to citizens and fosters common collective goals.