A Study on the Utilization of the Digital Participatory Platform "Decidim" in Japan: Based on Comparison of the Cases in the Introduction Stage

With the advance of the Participatory Planning, it gets more important to improve residents' participation in city planning in Japan. This study focuses on the one of the online participatory platforms, "Decidim", which derived from Barcelona in 2020, and clarifies its actual utilization in three advanced cases in Japan. We conducted interviews with the adopters and analyzed comments on Decidim to reveal the benefits and challenges in using Decidim. In Japan, Decidim is used in various ways and purposes, and can be used to expand the scope of participation. On the other hand, it has a difficulty in being accepted by most of civil servants and residents, how to "use" it, and how to customize it. It can be said, Decidim is a tool for "empathy", not "deliberation" in Japan.