Bristol has a strong ‘green’ ethos and was recognised as the European Green Capital for 2015 – an award that no other UK city has won.
Democratree was created by a team of young people at Knowle West Media Centre during the Young Rewired State Festival of Code 2013, with the aim of making tree-planting more democratic in the city. It was then developed into a website and app through the European project IES Cities.
The app invited users to consider if there was somewhere in their neighbourhood that would benefit from the shade, shelter and beauty of a tree. They could then propose a location for a new tree and vote on others’ suggestions.
Democratree is one of five apps developed for the city through the IES Cities project. IES Cities ran from 2013-2016, working in four cities in Italy, Spain and the UK to explore how people can use digital technologies and apps to identify and address issues in their area.
