NALED, from Serbia and the Western Balkans, has discovered a significant issue facing citizens and the economy: a lack of familiarity with the planning process implemented in their environment. This lack of information leads to their late inclusion in the planning process, resulting in street protests. Furthermore, citizens are not adequately educated on how to formulate a remark on an adopted plan and ensure its validity and consideration by the plan maker.
The experiment focused on understanding how to involve citizens more effectively and efficiently in the planning process, empowering them to express their needs and generate comments that will ensure that urban plans better reflect communities’ needs and development potentials.
In response to these challenges, they have developed and implemented a digital platform within a pilot local self-government territory, that aims to facilitate citizen engagement in the planning process. Through this digital platform, citizens receive timely information about the beginning of the planning process. Additionally, they have the opportunity to submit their objections within the legally prescribed deadline.