--- title: "How Famalicão Modernized Public Consultation for Urban Planning" canonical: "https://www.city-platform.com/case-studies/famalicao-public-consultation-pdm-case-study/" locale: en type: case_study updated_at: "2026-06-17T09:59:37.958Z" --- # How Famalicão Modernized Public Consultation for Urban Planning Public consultation for Municipal Master Plans plays a critical role in ensuring citizen participation in territorial planning and urban development decisions. Traditionally, these consultation processes relied on physical documents, in-person participation, letters, or email submissions, creating barriers to participation and making contribution management more complex for municipalities. To modernize this process and improve accessibility, transparency, and operational efficiency, the Municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão implemented a new digital approach powered by City as a Platform. ![Vítor Moreira](https://storage.googleapis.com/fbc-mkt-assets/caap/case-studies/famalicao-public-consultation-pdm-case-study/1779646962402-5e1a8a81-56bc-4203-aca8-01ca0e344f24.webp) > The Municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão believes that the future of smart cities is built through active citizen participation. The new digital application for the Municipal Master Plan public consultation represented another important step in bringing the community closer to strategic territorial decisions through simplicity, transparency, and innovation. This project reinforces our commitment to participatory democracy and more collaborative and efficient urban management. Vítor Moreira, General Director - Municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão ## The Customer Vila Nova de Famalicão is one of the most dynamic municipalities in Northern Portugal, with more than 130,000 inhabitants and a strong industrial and business ecosystem. The municipality is recognized for its strong investment in innovation, administrative modernization, and citizen proximity initiatives, continuously adopting digital solutions to improve transparency, operational efficiency, and public participation. ## The Challenge Before the implementation of this solution, public consultation for the Municipal Master Plan relied on traditional and fragmented participation methods. This model created several challenges: - Limited citizen participation - Processes disconnected from modern digital habits - Significant manual workload for municipal teams - Difficult analysis and consolidation of contributions - Complex access to territorial and cartographic information - Limited real-time monitoring capabilities The municipality needed a solution capable of simplifying participation, increasing accessibility, and improving operational efficiency without compromising transparency or technical rigor. ![People at Famalicão Municipality discussion about the Municipality Urban Plans](https://storage.googleapis.com/fbc-mkt-assets/caap/case-studies/famalicao-public-consultation-pdm-case-study/1779647498268-de4859d7-7589-4634-960b-1b5c068ae198.webp) ## The Solution To support this transformation, Vila Nova de Famalicão implemented City as a Platform as the primary digital channel for the Municipal Master Plan public consultation process. The solution enabled citizens to: - Submit suggestions, complaints, and observations online - Access georeferenced territorial and cartographic information - Explore planning content through intuitive interfaces - Interact with territorial information using experiences similar to [Google Maps](https://www.focus-bc.com/google/ "Google Maps") The platform also integrated analytical [dashboards](https://www.city-platform.com/categories/dashboards/ "Dashboards") through [Google Data Studio](https://www.mapify.ai/product/google-looker-studio-connector "Google Data Studio"), allowing municipal teams to monitor participation in real time and analyze territorial trends and statistical indicators. To support adoption, the municipality organized local public presentation sessions across different parishes, helping citizens understand how to use the platform and encouraging participation through digital channels. ![Famalicão municipal solution for Urban Plan open discussion supported by City as a Platform and Google Data Studio](https://storage.googleapis.com/fbc-mkt-assets/caap/case-studies/famalicao-public-consultation-pdm-case-study/1779647538044-f01370d9-4a70-457e-ba4e-ed73fc7b80ef.webp) ![Famalicão municipal solution for Urban Plan open discussion supported by City as a Platform and Google Data Studio](https://storage.googleapis.com/fbc-mkt-assets/caap/case-studies/famalicao-public-consultation-pdm-case-study/1779647538044-f01370d9-4a70-457e-ba4e-ed73fc7b80ef.webp) ![Famalicão municipal solution for Urban Plan open discussion supported by City as a Platform and Google Data Studio](https://storage.googleapis.com/fbc-mkt-assets/caap/case-studies/famalicao-public-consultation-pdm-case-study/1779647537543-0c6c22cb-f0cb-46b3-80f8-58668c88aba8.webp) ## The Results The implementation of City as a Platform transformed public consultation into a more modern, inclusive, and efficient process. +1k Citizen participations +800 Directly in City as a Platform 40 Open discussion days Key results included: - 1021 total submissions over 40 working days - 822 submissions made directly through the platform - Increased diversity of participants - Higher levels of [digital citizen participation](https://www.city-platform.com/blog/incident-management-improves-citizen-services/ "How Incident Management Improves Citizen Services") - Real-time territorial and statistical monitoring - Faster identification of sensitive areas and topics - Reduced manual administrative workload - Increased operational efficiency for municipal teams - Broader usage of additional City as a Platform portal features The platform also improved transparency and accessibility, helping citizens become more involved in strategic territorial decisions. ## A New Approach to Citizen Participation The Vila Nova de Famalicão case study demonstrates how digital platforms can transform traditionally bureaucratic processes into more accessible, transparent, and participatory experiences. With City as a Platform, the Municipal Master Plan public consultation evolved into an exercise of active and informed citizenship, helping the municipality build a closer and more collaborative relationship with its citizens. Explore the application: [famalicao.city-platform.com/app/?a=discussao\_publica\_pdm](https://famalicao.city-platform.com/app/?a=discussao_publica_pdm) ## Frequently asked questions ### What was the goal of the digital public consultation platform? The goal was to modernize the Municipal Master Plan public consultation process, making participation more accessible, transparent, and efficient for both citizens and municipal teams. ### How could citizens participate through the platform? Citizens could submit suggestions, complaints, observations, and clarification requests directly through the platform while accessing georeferenced planning information and maps. ### What benefits did the municipality achieve with City as a Platform? The municipality improved citizen participation, reduced manual administrative work, gained real-time monitoring capabilities, and increased transparency throughout the consultation process.