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.
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.
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.
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
The platform also integrated analytical dashboards through 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.
The Results
The implementation of City as a Platform transformed public consultation into a more modern, inclusive, and efficient process.
Citizen participations
Directly in City as a Platform
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
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
FAQ
Common questions
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.
Citizens could submit suggestions, complaints, observations, and clarification requests directly through the platform while accessing georeferenced planning information and maps.
The municipality improved citizen participation, reduced manual administrative work, gained real-time monitoring capabilities, and increased transparency throughout the consultation process.
Categories: Case StudyMunicipalityNews
