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A participatory process is a sequence of participatory activities (e.g. first filling out a survey, then making proposals, discussing them in face-to-face or virtual meetings, and finally prioritizing them) with the aim of defining and making a decision on a specific topic.

Examples of participatory processes are: a process of electing committee members (where candidatures are first presented, then debated and finally a candidacy is chosen), participatory budgets (where proposals are made, valued economically and voted on with the money available), a strategic planning process, the collaborative drafting of a regulation or norm, the design of an urban space or the production of a public policy plan.

In this phase, we collectively explore our territory to understand:

Who are the key stakeholders and actors?
What are the unmet needs and barriers?
How do different parts of our system relate to each other?
Where are the feedback loops that keep problems in place?

We use Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) — visual maps of how different factors in our territory influence each other — to build a shared picture of the system.

With our system map in hand, we explore thematic enablers — areas where change can have the greatest leverage:

Circular Bioeconomy: Using bio-based resources in closed-loop cycles
Mobility Empowerment: Improving access to sustainable transport
Smart Agriculture & Food Systems: Leveraging technology for sustainable production
Cultural Heritage & Tourism: Preserving and valorizing local assets
Digital Innovation: Bridging the digital divide

For each enabler, we identify concrete opportunities that connect to the needs and dynamics mapped in Phase 1.

In the final phase, we:

Co-design concrete interventions based on the most promising opportunities
Identify and test the assumptions behind each intervention
Evaluate how each intervention contributes to (or disrupts) the broader system
Use the Causal Loop Diagram to simulate potential systemic effects

[Lab Name] — Community of Practice

System Innovation for Rural-Urban Collaboration

Answer the Community Needs Assessment Survey

About this process

Welcome to the [Lab Name] Community of Practice

This platform supports your participation in the RURBANIVE System Innovation process. Together, we will explore the challenges and opportunities in our territory and co-design interventions that create lasting systemic change.

This participatory space guides stakeholders through three phases of a System Innovation Framework (developed by RISE):