Alcobendas Open City

Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation Application Form 2012

Please return the Application Form to the Guangzhou Award Secretariat at [email protected] by 30 September 2012.

A. Profile of the Initiative

Name of City/Community: Alcobendas Name of Province/State: Madrid Name of Country/Region: Spain Africa (Sub-Saharan) Asia and Pacific Geographic Region (Please East and Central Europe X select and tick one): North Africa and Middle East North America Latin America & Caribbean Title, name and position of person(s) submitting: 1. 2. 3. Basic City Data: Population size: 112314 (12/31/2011) Surface Area: 4412 ha = 10902.289 acre Population Density: 2545.64 (population per km2) GDP per capita: 22680.49 € (2009) Other: (please specify)

B. Background Information:

Title of Slogan of the Initiative (25 words max.): Alcobendas Open City. Transparency And Accountability Start date of the initiative: 2008 Tentative end date of the initiative: 2015 Thematic area(s): Organization and Administration

1 C. Summary of the origins of the initiative:

Describe how the initiative came about and what challenges or issues of sustainable development it is meant to address using the following lead questions as your guide (350 words max).

1. Describe briefly the reason(s) for undertaking initiative including challenge(s) or issues confronting the city/region/community. Include where relevant number of people, enterprises or institutions affected.

2. Describe the goals of the initiative in terms of desired change or outcome and timeframe for achieving the change or outcome (for example, change in policy, strategy, business model, technology, means of implementation, financing arrangements, measuring and evaluating, etc.)

3. List the parties and partners to the initiative (specify public, private, non-governmental, individual, etc.) and who is or was the leading partner(s) and the role they each played.

4. Describe the resources used for implementing the initiative including funding/financing strategy or arrangements and Include any significant contributions that are not in cash, for example, in human, technical or managerial resources.

Alcobendas is a pioneering and sensitive city regarding to quality issues. In a revolutionary way, an Administrative Culture has been driven by Alcobendas Borough Council to manage and work with the EFQM Excellence Model as framework for becoming a benchmark as city. According to this, in 2008 Alcobendas decided to work on its transparency by using as a reference the Performance Indicators from the International Transparency Spain. Furthermore, to be able to know about future by introducing the project "Alcobendas, Open City".

This project aims to improve the organisation by allowing learning, creativity and innovation, as well as develop greater values and better results towards citizens. For this, EUR 188613289.81, as General Public Budget, and 1393 civil servants and public workers are available for Alcobendas Borough Council in 2012, providing services to over 110000 people.

“Alcobendas, Open City" is based on 2008-2011 and 2012-2015 four-year Community Plan, which have been deployed in their respective strategic objectives for its implementation.

Strategies 2008-2011:

1. Austerity budget 2. Housing 3. Security 4. Quality of Public Services 5. Participation (Rules of Participation)

2 Strategies 2012-2015:

1. City Promotion, Economic Development and Employment 2. Social Responsibility 3. Accountability and Transparency 4. Quality of Public Services 5. Participation (involving system for citizens to take part in the city development)

The "Alcobendas, Open City" objective is to improve transparency, collaboration and participation between our organization and its stakeholders through a new network. This network will be used for the exchange of needs and services by using communication and information technologies.

"Alcobendas, Open City" has been built with the essential support from Alcobendas Borough Council’s stakeholders. The Town Council takes part and, at the same time, is a dynamic element which provides and manages the resources and the structure needed for the project development.

Every department in the organisation are involved in putting in practice the project through a cross scope.

"Alcobendas, Open City" project development is supported by a multidisciplinary team. This work team is led and coordinated by the Concillar of Municipal Administration.

3 D. Summary of the innovation for the initiative:

Describe the innovation for the initiative using the following lead questions as a guide (350 words max).

1. Describe whether the initiative should be considered evolutionary or revolutionary. Evolutionary would imply that innovation evolved over time based on lessons learned from experience and that the changes or outcomes are cumulative. Revolutionary would imply something quite new or something that has been borrowed from elsewhere but never been tried before in the sector or context in question and therefore bears a certain degree of risk.

2. Describe where the innovation is being applied, for example, in policy, strategy, implementation, financing arrangement, technology, governance and administration, planning and design, etc.

3. Describe whether the innovation was inspired or borrowed from other experiences and how was the linkage with the other experiences made. Similarly, describe whether other parties have benefited or are benefiting from your innovation and how?

4. Describe whether there was or is any obstacles or resistance to the innovation and if so, how it was or is being overcome.

"Alcobendas, Open City" comes from the strong the government team’s commitment in order to enhance changes and modernize the city and the organization itself. Permanent places for engaging and involving citizens and other stakeholders have been created by the growth of the city of Alcobendas and the Town Council, beyond elections every four years or belonging to an association.

We propose as “Open Government” meaning, the continuous and bidirectional communication, without limits, between Public Administration and citizens. On one hand, Public Administration makes decisions and provides services based on its stakeholders’ needs and expectations. On the other, each citizen is able to assess, collaborate and get involved effectively in decision making process from their politicians.

Our model of “open government” has three pillars:

Accountability

We work to be a proactive administration that communicates the developed policies and, at the same time, citizens may require all the information that they need (reactive management). Our governance is under citizenship supervision.

Collaboration

Our organization involves and engages all stakeholders in the development of common projects and initiatives. We encourage intra and inter departmental work as well as with other stakeholders. We create knowledge, learning and generate intelligence.

4 To get involved

We use TICs to facilitate communication channels, therefore citizens may take part in the politic decision making process. We encourage every activities that increase the role of citizens.

"Alcobendas, Open City" includes Open Data and opening Social Media.

Open Data is based on making available public data with no legal or technical restrictions, providing full access, reusing and redistributing. Data must be able to be consumed from any fixed or mobile device.

On the other hand, by Opening Social Media facilities we are able to make possible the communication with all of our stakeholders.

"Alcobendas, Open City" has been a revolution in public management and, consequently, has found internal resistance inside the organization; we try to solve them by implementing actions related to the management of change. It has also been used to train civil servants to support a holistic view for facing the current challenges.

5 E. Summary of the desired change or outcome and how it is being measured

Describe how the initiative, and in particular the innovation, is or will be making a qualitative and/or quantitative change and how that change or outcome is being measured (350 words max)

1. What change(s) or outcome have you already achieved or hope to achieve. Please describe the nature of the change or outcome in, new urban quality of life, new levels of social, economic or environmental sustainability including new attitudes and behaviour, improved efficiency, effectiveness, accountability or transparency, etc. Please also describe the scale of the change, for example, primarily local, regional, national or global.

2. What measurements or metrics are you using to assess the change? Describe who is doing the measuring and who is using the measurements and how.

3. Describe any specific tools or methods that were developed or applied to improve the chances or attaining the desired outcome or change, for example, new working methods, new data and information, new incentives or disincentives, new means of communications and knowledge, etc.

4. How does the initiative and its intended change(s) or outcomes contribute to a new image or reputation for your city or community?

Due to the fact that Alcobendas was included among the municipalities with large populations in Spain, in February 2008 the city seat up the basis of its city model, defining its capacity for managing itself. Moreover, the Organic Regulation of the Government and Administration (ROGA) was approved, establishing the regulations for running the organisation, government and administration.

Innovation in our organisation is focused on providing transparency and involving citizens and other stakeholders in public services, developing creativity between people, evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency in the management public resources.

The use of Communication and Information Technologies has made the Council to be able to run a page on its website www.alcobendas.org called “Gobierno Responsable”. Here, there is available information about Alcobendas Borough Council’s commitment to openness and transparency.

The change, revolution and transparency on the city management have made possible mutual profits to exist between the institution, citizens and business by:

- Increasing an interaction with citizens and improving the quality of public services. - Generating providers trust and assurance with respect to the City Council, a national benchmark in public procurement. - The city is being built by and for everybody.

6 This institutional framework, "Alcobendas, Open City", has defined the objectives for the period 2008-2015:

1. Improving access to the municipal website 2. To increase and develop services related to the municipal website 3. Increasing transparency between every level of the government and citizens 4. To promote shared projects and initiatives between the Council and stakeholders 5. Improving the quality and integrity of open data which are avalaible to be tested by stakeholders 6. To expand and improve the services offered by the council to its stakeholders in terms of quality and innovation 7. To help to make the economy more dynamic and create new business opportunities by facilitating the creation of wealth and employment 8. Decreasing the services costs 9. Locating the institution on social networks 10. To stimulate for involving stakeholders in public affairs

7 F. Detailed description of the initiative and innovation

Choose any of the above headings or a particular aspect of the initiative that you wish to highlight and that you think best describes the reasons why the innovative aspect(s) of the initiative could be of benefit to other cities, regions, communities or parties (400 words maximum).

A specific website called "Gobierno Responsable" has been created into the borough website www.alcobendas.org. It has the following statement:

"Alcobendas City Council is firmly committed to a culture of transparency in the management of public affairs. Through the borough website, we want to provide our citizens the knowledge about the council action, pursuant to its access to public information right, as well as promote its control in the management and the use of public resources. Progressively, mechanisms for collaborating and involving our neighbors in borough management to contribute and improve public services in our city will be included."

Its content is divided into four sections that are constantly developing and updating, noting:

Accountability

Information related to accountability is available in this section. Contents such as Transparency Indicators, the mayor and aldermens' salaries, Statement of Assets, Relationship between jobs and salaries, Local Government Budgets, Town Meetings (Minutes and YouTube Channel), Public Procurement, General Plan for Urban Development, Public Job Offer, Grants and subsidies, Public Housing Promotions, Corporate Image, Owned or Rented Property, Political Organization and Bodies of Government and Planning.

To get involved

This section includes: Civic Participation throughout the territorial, sectoral and strategic scope, Consultants and Involving Process, Partnership, Alcobendas City Foundation and Alcobendas Sport Foundation.

City Data

Archive, the City, Employment, Sustainability and Immigration Observatories, essentials and population statistics, traffic webcams, Street, business and stores directory, map, Predictions weather, pharmacies, Emergencies, parking areas on public roads, borough equipment, City Images, educational centres, Images of events, Gardens and Natural Places and Sport.

E-administration

This section includes the following procedures: Reservations Sports, Job Vacancies, Suggestions and Complaints. Information Requests, Certificate of Registration and Card Alcobendas, among others.

8 In addition, there are two websites more which collect information about: