City Innovations in Open Government

Cities are where real progress is made for sustainable development and where the New Urban Agenda will be successful. Urban areas are where governments are closest to their citizens and where essential public services like education, health and transport are delivered to people. However, with this proximity comes a responsibility for cities to be more transparent, accountable, and responsive to their citizens’ needs. More open government practices at the city level can directly improve quality of life for all while advancing the NUA. This network launch of open government leaders in cities will focus on the importance of innovation in open government and transparency for addressing urbanization challenges. City and civil society pioneers in open government will share specific examples, such as participatory budgeting at the neighborhood level or opening up municipal transport data to improve the quality of service. This will lead to a discussion amongst participants about how open government innovations can help achieve the New Urban Agenda. The event will conclude with a plan for how they can work together to pioneer this.