Karlsruhe PILOT: Start of Testing Participatory Methods at FahrradFestival

The URBAN INNO Karlsruhe Pilot deals with the topic ‘eBikes & Energy’ and is embedded in the celebrations for the 200^th birthday of the invention of the bicycle in the Karlsruhe region. In this context, the Karlsruhe Pilot Team took part in the event FahrradFestival (Bicycle Festival) in Karlsruhe which is the largest event of the bicycle birthday celebrations. At this event, numerous stands invited interested visitors to inform themselves and participate in various actions related to the topic bicycles.

Ralf Trunko from CyberForum promoted the URBAN INNO project and the background of the Karlsruhe Pilot to the visitors of the booth of the pilot team at the event. The Karlsruhe Pilot Team (managed by the URBAN INNO partner CyberForum) started at this event with testing the participatory method ‘Public Participation Geo Information System (PPGIS)’ at a booth on Saturday, 27^th and Sunday, 28^th May 2017. This participatory method is based on a crowd sourcing approach supported by usage of at topic-related software. The method comprises the ‘customization’ of an existing GIS software in order to use the functionalities for citizens participation related to energy issues of eBikes and to provide it to citizens for testing purposes. Interested visitors have been invited to test the functionalities of a first prototype of the PPGIS software for allowing citizen participation regarding eBike usage (e.g. roadway arrangements, necessary distribution of charging stations). The purpose of PPGIS was presented by Brendan McGill, a master student supervised by EIFER (European Institute for Energy Research – scientific pilot partner), to visitors of the booth. More than 20 persons have tested and commented the PPGIS which will contribute to its further development. After improvement of the PPGIS based on this first feedback received at the event, the system can be tested online for a duration of two months (until end of July 2017) by interested citizens.

Two representatives of EIFER promoted the 2^nd chosen participatory method (Future Workshop) to visitors of the booth. For this Future Workshop it is planned to invite representatives of all relevant stakeholders (citizens, local science and economy as well as public administration). In order to collect information, ideas, suggestions, problems regarding eBike usage in Karlsruhe, distribution of charging stations, new citizen-driven business models for providing energy for eBikes (concept of prosumer) and other energy aspects of eBikes, EIFER provided a questionnaire to be filled out by visitors of the booth. Furthermore, interested visitors could decide to participate in the Future Workshop which will take place at 16^th September 2017 in the City Hall of Karlsruhe. More than 80 persons have filled out the questionnaire for the collection of inputs and the preparation of the Future Workshop.

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