LatinaLista — In a country where public trust in government has steadily eroded over time, citizens in Mexico City are tapping technology to engage their peers in creating a new future for their city.
In 2017, the city will have its own constitution after shedding its old identity in January as Mexico Distrito Federal. Now known as Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City), the city will be able to act more like a state, with the federal funding and benefits that come with it.
Many in the city feel it’s important that the 9 million citizens of Mexico City have a voice in drafting the document. To encourage civic participation, Mexicans have been encouraged to log onto Plataforma Constitución CDMX.
Because the resulting document drafted through the Plataforma Constitución CDMX does not legally bound officials to adopt any recommendations or suggestions, the platform serves more as a crowdsourcing activity. The hope is that some of the suggestions will be incorporated into the final, official constitution.
But unlike past similar activities where citizens have contributed less serious proposals, each suggestion has to be supported by more than 10,000 signatures before it will be included.
In addition to commenting on the first draft and contributing proposals for inclusion, the site also offers surveys on what future drafts should include and information on formally organizing affiliated meetings.
Though Mexico City is one of the most Internet-connected cities in the country, it’s a reality that not everyone is online. To ensure that every Mexico City resident has an opportunity to contribute, kiosks connected to the platform are found throughout the city.
The platform will be active until September 2016.
