Citizen participation in decision-making processes: knowledge sharing in knowledge cities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the subject of knowledge citizenship from the perspective of citizen participation in their city’s decision-making processes. It focuses on a case study of the city of Holon, Israel. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents three distinct methods for citizen participation processes which were used by Holon: citizen-based consensus conference, neighborhood conversations, and knowledge café sessions, all of which allow the municipality to implement citizen participation as part of its routine, fluent operations. Findings – The story of Holon presents the methods and processes for the creation of citizen dialog aimed to allow a city to develop itself into a knowledge city. Originality/value – The case study shows how the theory of knowledge cities can be transferred into actual practicality. It describes three different ways to combine knowledge sharing in a city as part of the town’s development into a knowledge city. Holon’s experience can serve other cities to learn what processes are more suitable and applicable for them.