/ Practice
Open Civic Innovation is the collective improvement of civic life
A coordination practice of the design field dedicated to cultivating participatory, resilient, and life‑affirming civilization in service of the public good. It renews a spirit of collective responsibility for our commons by cultivating new mechanisms of civic stewardship grounded in participatory design and shared care.
Contents
/ Orientation
Does the world feel like it’s
no longer making sense?
Whether you’ve questioned the status quo for decades or are only now sensing that something is deeply off, it’s increasingly clear that human civilization is in crisis. Ecological systems are crossing tipping points, authoritarian tendencies are spreading, and it’s easy to lose faith in the possibility of a more beautiful world.
If you feel grief, anger, or despair — you are not alone. Facing this reality is an act of courage.
Despite the overwhelming scale of our crises, our choices still matter. Open civic innovation reminds us that we have both the right and responsibility to reshape the civilizational systems that define our shared life.
To contribute to grassroots systemic change is to remember our power. It’s an act of solidarity — rooting down in the places we call home while rising up together to steward a shared future. Once we accept that no one is coming to save us, we recognize it is up to us to act.
The question becomes: where do we begin?
/ How it Works
The Practice is embodied as a mindset
/ 1
Start Where you are
Notice unmet needs close to home and form a circle with others who share direct experience.
Identify real conditions and clear needs within your community.
Listen deeply to lived experiences and map known constraints and assets.
Learn from existing efforts and align with what’s already working.
/ 2
Build what you need
Adapt and co‑create localized systems that are built by, not for, the communities they serve.
Decide whether to contribute to an existing effort or begin something new.
Create, remix, adapt, and re‑contextualize open resources to fit local contexts.
Nurture collectively stewarded efforts that help people work better together.
/ 3
Share what you learn
Publish resources and reflections so others can remix and strengthen the civic commons.
Capture reflections and document direct experiences.
Publish open templates, blueprints, and other resources.
Connect with peers to exchange lessons and offer mutual support.
/ Go Deeper
The start, build, share mindset is where the practice begins — but it's backed by a framework for how we design civic life together.
Beneath the surface, the practice is shaped by three core values — vitality, choice, and resilience — that serve as both aspirations and design criteria for everything we build.
Four design principles — modular, interoperable, composable, and inclusive — ensure that what gets created in one place can be adapted and remixed by communities everywhere.
And six collective activities — align, coordinate, collaborate, resource, convene, and learn — describe the rhythm of how practitioners actually work together across scales.
These layers connect individual action to a shared architecture of open civic systems, utilities, and knowledge that communities around the world are building in the open.
/ Community of Practice
We need (to find) one another
The OpenCivics Network is a community of practice and solidarity supporting allies, innovators, organizers, and patrons engaged in the collective practice of open civic innovation. Together, we are working to restore the living fabric of public life and grow an open civic renaissance.