DIGIgrätzl: Decidim for neighbourhoods
A neighbourhood app co-developed by residents themselves: over a year and a half, we developed the participation platform Decidim into a simple, mobile platform for neighbourhoods – together with the people who use it.
- Funding: AK Wien Digifonds
- Period: February 2023 to October 2024
- Location: Wolfganggasse, Vienna-Meidling
- Partner: realitylab (social processes in housing and urban development), Dr. Tamara Ehs (research)
- Our role: Technology development
Why DIGIgrätzl?
Non-profit housing invests a great deal in social sustainability: support for new residents moving in, community rooms, neighbourhood work. For neighbourhood life to work day to day, residents need a simple place to exchange ideas, help each other and stay informed – similar to a Facebook group, but open source and privacy-friendly.
It was particularly important to us to also reach people who rarely get involved otherwise.
Research shows that people in precarious circumstances participate in democracy less than average – and as a result, their concerns and wishes are heard and acted upon less often. With the participation platform, we start at the neighbourhood level and support people in shaping their immediate living environment.
Dr. Tamara Ehs, political scientist and democracy consultant
Developed together with residents
Instead of planning at a desk, we developed DIGIgrätzl where it is needed: in two move-in processes in Wolfganggasse in Vienna-Meidling – in the newly developing neighbourhood and in the Lebenscampus housing project.
- February 2023: Kick-off
- May to August 2023: first use of Decidim in the newly developing Wolfganggasse neighbourhood and in the Lebenscampus housing project
- August to December 2023: focus groups, surveys and usability tests with residents
- January to October 2024: technology development based on these results
- October 2024: DIGIgrätzl is ready for use
In addition to getting to know each other in person, DIGIgrätzl helps people become an active neighbourhood. Through user feedback, we will understand even better where the digital level can be particularly supportive.
DI Petra Hendrich, founder and project lead at realitylab
What residents told us – and what we made of it
Almost only on the phone
A neighbourhood platform is used almost exclusively on smartphones. That is why DIGIgrätzl is designed mobile-first, with app-like navigation.
As simple as possible
Instead of many menus, there is a clear feed. Important news arrives on your phone via push notification.
A direct line to property management
Platform operators can highlight and pin posts – so important information really reaches everyone.
What DIGIgrätzl looks like
What the platform can do
- Feed for exchange within the neighbourhood
- Share & Care: sharing items and supporting each other
- Events and scheduling polls
- Simple polls
- Highlighting and pinning important posts for platform operators
- Email lists and push notifications
- White label: customisable to your organisation
Result: open to all neighbourhoods
In October 2024, DIGIgrätzl was ready for use and was presented at an event with an expert discussion. The enhancements are available as open-source modules for Decidim on GitHub – any housing association, municipality, initiative or association can use them.
If you do not want to run DIGIgrätzl yourself, we set it up, host it and support it for you.
The team
- realitylab: DI Petra Hendrich, BA · Dr. Mag. Gernot Tscherteu · DI Gudrun Peller
- Research: Dr. Tamara Ehs, political scientist and democracy consultant
- mitgestalten Partizipationsbüro: Mag.a Romy Grasgruber-Kerl · Alexander Rusa (software architect) · Piero Chiussi (web design and web development)
Learn more
- digigraetzl.at
- Demo platform (best opened on a smartphone)
- Blog post: DIGIgrätzl is here!
- Blog post: project launch
- Code on GitHub: decidim-module-feeds · decidim-module-feeds_ui
Decidim for your organisation?
In a no-obligation conversation, we will clarify what suits your municipality or organisation.