With Wijk aan Zet, citizens will have more say in decisions that affect their living environment, their district /neighbourhood. This means a better synergy between the needs of the district and the development of urban tasks and policies. Residents, municipality and organisations make plans for the district that come together in the district agreement. The district councils are the eyes and ears of the streets of the district / neighbourhood. In this way, engaged citizens represent the residents of the district.

Residents have more say in plans for their living environment and in this way have more influence on the allocation of budgets. The objective is that municipal employees are easier to find and more approachable. Due to more direct contact with residents, the municipal workers know better what is really going on and are more capable of making and implementing plans. 

Easily accessible, visible, tailor-made and with a practical approach are key concepts in this methodology. This does not stop after the elected council is in place, it is an ongoing process in which the municipality and residents keep talking to each other and make improvements.

This new way of working was implemented through 15 sub-projects. The municipal organisation has also changed. Hard work is being done to change cooperation in and with the district. For example:

The first annual action plan has been evaluated, and we are working on improvements for the second annual action plan. The process is simpler, and the administrative burden is decreasing, partly due to digitization. The district is now seeing a response to their plans more quickly, we can start implementation earlier and there is more time for good conversations about this in and with the neighbourhood (council).

Neighbourhood hubs have been opened in each neighbourhood. Residents can go there with questions or problems. And the council and other district / neighbourhood organisations can work together there. For example, employees of the municipality, the local police officer or youth workers work there. This makes it even easier to get in touch with the municipality.

We are also bringing the municipality closer to the neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood will have its own district councillor.

The rules for residents' initiatives have been adapted. It will be easier for citizens to apply for a grant for ideas and initiatives for their district / neighbourhood / street; there are various schemes for this. In this way, the municipality works more in and with residents.

Participation platform: 
In February 2022, the campaign began for candidates to introduce themselves to voters in their districts. The presentation took place on the new participation platform Mijn Rotterdam (mijn.rotterdam.nl)

After the elections, the elected district councils were also introduced to the districts via mijn.rotterdam, and the platform now plays an important role in the creation and communication of the district agreements. For example, with news about the implementation of actions from the district agreements. In addition, residents can apply for grants for their initiatives on mijn.rotterdam, it is transparent which proposals have received money from the district council, and initiators can use the platform to communicate their plans in the district / neighbourhood / street(area), for example a street party.

District agreements:
The involvement of citizens and partners is an important aspect in forming the district agreements. The district agreement is a document that is made together with the district council, residents, neighbourhood partners and the municipality. And the college of mayor and councillors ratified the district agreements. It is the basis for cooperation in the district. A district agreement contains the most important tasks of the district e.g. assignments in the field of space for recreation, road safety or activities for young people. Part of the district agreement is the annual action plan. The municipality largely carries this out. Every year we draw up the annual action plan together with the district councils.

District hubs: 
To be more accessible, district hubs are set up in all districts, where residents can easily drop in with ideas and questions.

The City supports the 39 district councils with ICT resources, support from district council coordinators, their own budgets and district council members are paid. The annual cost of this is approximately €10 million. Then there are the costs of the actions in the district council plans, which are paid from the regular budget.

• All 39 district councils, 291 district council members have been installed and are supported by 15 district council coordinators.
   
• In all 39 districts, annual action plans have been developed with the elected district councils. These annual action plans contain a total of over 1,400 joint actions. Over 187,000 people voted (turnout 35.36%)
   
• An introduction programme has been set up to help new members of district councils, with 27 skills training sessions and 69 introduction days provided on request.
   
• New District Democracy also means paying attention to new tasks, responsibilities and cooperation between the municipal organisation and district council members.
   
• New District Democracy should make it easier for citizens to participate in thinking and deciding about their neighbourhood. The digital participation platform Mijn Rotterdam was set up for this purpose. A total of 120,000 unique visitors have visited the platform, 7664 citizens have an account.
   
• All 39 districts have a district hub accessible for citizens with questions and / or ideas

1. The new style of governance and the opportunities it offers need time to land and develop, which is why the participation rate on the participation platform Mijn Rotterdam is not yet high.
    
2. The shift in engagement we advocate also means a change in the current governance practices and thus the way we want to achieve our goals together. In addition to systemic challenges, there is also a cultural shift needed and that takes time.
    
3. Formal embedding was a challenge, which is why a regulation was chosen.
    
4. Inclusion – ensuring that everyone can really participate.
    
5. A new system and tools alone are not enough: it takes time to understand and trust each other. Sometimes things do not work out as planned, and the key is to see the benefits of learning from what might be considered setbacks. 

The municipality is ensuring that the district councils have the help and support from the organisation that is needed to do their job properly and to learn how to work more independently e.g. with ICT resources, their own budgets and district council coordinators. The intention is also that the district councils inspire and learn from each other.

In Rotterdam, the district is on the move! Implementation also coincided with the national elections. As a result, the energy of this new approach also had an impact on awareness of the national elections.