Crowdsourcing Urban Form in Moscow

Peter Sigrist, Cornell University

Can participation in urban development be open to all citizens online? Andrei Goncharov has devised a model for how this could work. As a student at the new Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, Goncharov developed a game prototype called “Crowdsourced Moscow,” which envisions a compelling approach to technology-enabled urban governance.

The game allows users to propose development projects, receive notifications of proposed projects, vote on the proposals of others, delegate votes to trusted leaders and participate in budgeting. It collects and displays real-time data so that participants can make informed decisions. It offers a way for anyone to take part in co-creating the city. Although the game is not yet “playable,” the concept is designed to spark dialogue about using technology to engender more direct democratic participation in city planning.

Goncharov produced a video that explains the game and profiles sample particpants, including developers, planners, citizens, artists and government officials. It also simulates potential scenarios that could take place if the game were used for participatory planning. The video can be viewed on the game’s Facebook page, which presents the game as a vehicle for improving communication between stakeholders in the development of public space.

Moscow is perhaps the best and worst place to apply Goncharov’s idea. After the past two decades of rapid, authoritarian, corrupt, massive, and awkward urban development, there is an undeniable need for change. At the same time, the vast majority of citizens have no way of influencing planning decisions. Thus, while the idea is very much needed and desired, the likelihood that the current government will yield decision-making power to all citizens is practically nonexistent.

Despite the challenges to realization, “Crowdsourced Moscow” resonates with local viewers, generating a promising dialog and expanding what is considered possible. It reflects a substantive understanding of technology, human needs, and the critical relationship between the two. This understanding is rooted in Goncharov’s research process, which included a diverse review of literature — on gaming, design activism, networked cities, public space, democracy and civic engagement — along with interviews, case studies and assessments of potential technologies.

After watching the video, it isn’t difficult to imagine the game becoming a Facebook application, or combining with other participatory planning tools developed by OpenPlans, SeeClickFix or Urbanscale. Goncharov is currently working to realize the idea, and he encourages anyone interested in collaboration or more information to contact him at goncharov@strelkainstitute.com.

Peter Sigrist is a doctoral candidate in city and regional planning at Cornell University researching privatization and urban green space in Moscow. The author can be reached at pcs85@cornell.edu.