What if our digital tools worked for and with Amsterdam’s communities?
Today, Commons Network and Waag Futurelab publish the Roadmap for Democratic Technology: a practical guide that outlines how Amsterdam should strengthen democratic technology by learning from and working with the community economy. The principles of the community economy provide clear guidelines for the development and use of platforms and digital tools rooted in democratic ownership. The roadmap shows that democratic tech, technology that strengthens public values and democratic practice, is not a distant ideal. It is already happening, and Amsterdam can lead the way.
The roadmap was developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary group from the community and broader social economy ecosystem. As part of the research, an extensive desk study was conducted on existing technology that embodies the principles of the community economy. The goal of the roadmap to map the digital needs of Amsterdam’s ecosystem, inventory existing solutions, and explore how the development of democratic technology can be strengthened.
Technology can be democratic in Amsterdam, and to do so, we outline five building blocks. These building blocks translate the conditions identified by local initiatives into concrete actions. They also provide direction for the city of Amsterdam and broader use of democratic technology within society.
The community economy as the frontrunner
Amsterdam has made strengthening the local economy a priority of its economic policy. In recent agendas, such as “Strengthening Innovation and Impact Ecosystems” and the agenda for the Social Economy, the city emphasizes the need for a transition toward a more socially and ecologically sustainable economy. An economy that strives for a positive social impact for the community, prioritizing local interests for the city over those of economic actors located outside the city. The community economy plays a crucial role in this transition. It is locally anchored, is governed democratically, and keeps value within Amsterdam’s neighborhoods.
At the same time, Amsterdam is undergoing a rapid digital transformation. From daily groceries to dating, from mobility to healthcare, digital platforms shape almost every aspect of daily life. In almost all cases, this transformation is now being led by large tech companies.
Amsterdammers are often not active participants in these changes, but primarily consumers. Value increasingly flows out of neighborhoods and the city itself. Workers such as delivery drivers and landlords are becoming part of the “gig economy,” and neither the government nor unions are able to adequately protect these precarious workers. The digital transition has a huge impact on labor rights and self-determination, as well as neighborhoods, communities, and the local economy.
Zooming out, we see that the Netherlands, like other European countries, has become highly dependent on a small group of powerful tech companies. This dependence extends to crucial sectors such as communications, healthcare, education, media, and even government. This dependence puts digital autonomy, and thus our self-determination, under pressure. This poses a risk to both our economic and democratic resilience, which has become very visible in light of increasing cyber threats and geopolitical tensions. Democratic technology offers a way forward.
Democratic tech: technology that strengthens democracy
The principles of the community economy provide clear guidelines for the development and use of platforms and other digital tools rooted in democratic ownership and optimized for multiple value creation. We call this, in short, democratic tech—technology that strengthens public values and democratic practice.
With this roadmap, we aim to contribute to an inclusive economy that is open to all kinds of entrepreneurs: businesses, social initiatives, and citizen initiatives. All of them can benefit from democratic technological infrastructures and tools.
As democratic technology becomes widely adopted, it will not only strenthen the community and social economy. It can also influence the mainstream economy, ecouraging the transformation to new models of ownership, governance, and value creation. In this way, the broader economy can learn from the community economy, for the benefit of a democratic and inclusive economy and society. Here, the community economy is the forerunner.
Amsterdam, engine of democratic technology
To turn this vision into practice, the roadmap identifies five building blocks that are essential for a democratic digital ecosystem in Amsterdam. These building blocks translate the needs and experiences of local initiatives to concrete actions for the city of Amsterdam.
- Collective services: Many organizations lack the capacity or in-house expertise to make a digital transition independently. Collective services can provide open-source softwares and digital tools, offering support, coordination, an knowledge exchange. This makes it easier to make informed decisions about security, data use, and implementation, while enabling digital unburdening and room for learning and collaboration.
- Develop knowledge and skills: Open technology requires different skills and a different mindset than workingwith big tech tools. Therefore, further research is needed to develop appropriate training programs. This includes knowledge of data ownership, governance, interoperability, and open standards, which are essential for the effective use of open technology.
- Incubator program: We call for the creation of an incubator program and hub for democratic technology that brings together entrepreneurs, investors and international partners to build and scale trustworthy tools. The programme should proactively communicate and develop a clear narrative around democratic tech, foster international collaboration, and provide a dedicated space where investors can connect directly with entrepreneurs to accelerate ethical, impact-driven innovation.
- Shared basic infrastructure: Just as roads and electricity grids form the backbone of the physical world, we need fundamental digital infrastructure: networks, protocols, and platforms that can be used by multiple parties. Public infrastructure can also form the basis for the development of a community economy. The government, in collaboration with stakeholders, can promote platforms that set frameworks and standards that encourage democratic practices and make certain public values non-negotiable.
- Financing: Democratic technology needs sustainable financing approach to develop, manage, and scale. This requires long-term partnerships between governments, civil society initiatives, and intermediaries. Existing funding models must be adapted, and new approaches, such as indirect financing through impact funds, should be explored to ensure long-term development of public digital infrastructure
Together, these five building blocks provide a clear direction for strengthening democratic technology in Amsterdam. They translate the conditions identified by initiatives into concrete actions, and show that a sovereign digital future is possible.
Technology can be democratic.