Reykjavík City’s participatory democracy portal

Welcome to Reykjavík City’s participatory democracy portal. Here, you’ll learn about the many ways residents and the City’s administration make decisions.

Democracy Policy

Reykjavík City’s Democracy Policy should form the basis of all decision-making within Reykjavík City. It leads the way and puts the big picture in context.

Its aim is to support the democratic participation of residents and to elevate their voices.

It is also important for elected representatives and Reykjavík’s administration to better understand the needs and wishes of residents. This allows for well-informed decisions to be made in good cooperation between all parties involved.

Resident councils

Make an impact by participating in open meetings of the residents’ council in your district. Meetings are held every month and we aim to stream all meetings live on reykjavik.is.

Resident’s councils strengthen connectivity and shorten communication channels between residents, politics, the administration, and other stakeholders.

They help to raise awareness and make it easier for residents to make their point of view known.

My Neighborhood

My Neighborhood is a collaborative project between residents and the City administration. Every other year, residents can impact their immediate surroundings by submitting ideas for new projects in the districts of Reykjavík.

The funding is 850 million kr. each time divided between districts. First, ideas are collected from residents, then they are reviewed and ideas are selected for the ballot, and finally people vote for the best ideas. The ideas that chosen through the vote are made a projects the following year.

Consultation Portal

Reykjavík City’s Consultation Portal is used to solicit the ideas and attitudes of citizens on various projects in Reykjavík.

It allows residents to give their opinion on the many strategic and executive initiatives as they are worked on.

My Neighborhood also uses the Suggestion Portal when calling for ideas.

Suggestion Portal

Send us a suggestion about anything!

Does something in the City’s services need fixing or improving, or would you like to let us know about anything else?

We will reply as fast as we can.

Consultation committees

Examples of Reykjavík consultation committees include the Elderly Affairs Council, the Intercultural Council, and the Accessibility and Consultation Committee for People with Disabilities.

The names of chairs, board members, and staff are available on the web site.

Everyone is invited to contact these people to discuss matters related to the relevant policy area and, as appropriate, make inquiries and suggestions.

Youth councils

Youth councils provide a forum for adolescents under 18 years of age to actively participate in community development and influence their local environment.

The City’s districts have six youth councils, that together form their own consultation and cooperation forum, the Youth Council of Reykjavík.

Everyone aged 18 and under is welcome to participate.

City Administration

Mayor, City Council, City Councilors, and City Executive Council.

But who does what, anyway?

Here you can find more information about the roles and main tasks of democratically elected representatives in Reykjavík.

Neighborhood plans

An urban district plan is a land-use plan for established neighborhoods with the goal of making the districts more eco-friendly and sustainable, as well as developing the settled area in line with changing community concerns.

Neighborhood plans will also simplify the process for residents to apply for changes to their properties and land.

Projects

Information about construction projects, paving, and usage permits in Reykjavík.

These are live data that regularly change and provide a good picture of what's happening in the city at any given time.