How do citizens envision democratic participation for sustainable futures? A reflection on co-created innovations

As humanity fails to remain within the Earth's critical biophysical limits, a growing global consensus is emerging on the urgent need for a socio-ecological transformation towards a sustainable future. Citizens' democratic participation in shaping a sustainable future is widely recognised as essential; however, empirical studies exploring the role of democratic participation practices in sustainability transitions, and how citizens themselves envision their roles in such processes, remain limited. This study draws on insights from Democracy Labs, conducted in six European cities (Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain), which employed participatory and co-creative methods from a specially tailored design toolbox. Participants engaged in a series of structured exercises designed to generate novel democratic participation practices aligned with core democratic principles. Drawing on a thematic analysis of 31 envisioned democratic innovations, the study compares participants' conceptions of fundamental democratic principles and how these shape envisioned ecologies of democratic participation. This offers a unique insight into how citizens perceive the current state of democracy and how these perceptions intersect with their understanding of sustainability at both local and global scales. The findings reveal a dynamic and context-sensitive interplay between democratic innovation and concerns about sustainability, including innovation situated in post-growth futures. They include direct and delegative democracy processes, permanent citizen assemblies, supported by digital tools that facilitate in-person meetings and e-participation. The co-created innovations reflect diverse yet grounded visions of democratic renewal, offering a nuanced perspective on how participatory design can inform pathways towards more inclusive and sustainable futures across Europe.