From Citizen Participation to Real Ownership

Reinvigorating urban environments is a complex challenge involving multiple stakeholders. How can local governments and communities be enabled to work together to achieve it? Saskia Beer reports on ZO!City (initially named Glamourmanifest), an initiative that she founded in 2011 to transform a waning Amsterdam office district into a lively mixed‐use neighbourhood. An interactive online platform is key to revealing and interlinking different parties' priorities, and has been supported by playful real‐world activities to generate enthusiasm and encourage engagement.