Political participation and Citizen Innovation Laboratories: the study of CitiLab and MediaLab Prado in Spain

Abstract

This article analyzes the action of the Citizen Innovation Laboratories in the promotion of citizenship and urban management through participatory practices and use of digital technologies to develop democracy at the local level. Allied with the creative, interactive and cooperative use of ICTs, the laboratories produce collaborative practices in different projects in the cultural, social and political fields, as an alternative to traditional politics. Through an exploratory and analytical study of the experiences of Citi Lab Cornellà and MediaLab Prado, both in Spain, the article approaches some innovation practices developed in these spaces and their influences on local public policies, through the idea of shared urban management. The results indicate transformative experiences that promote the politics of the common.