Although political agendas address citizen participation as central to tackling multiple crises through urban governance and planning, there remains a significant gap between discourse and reality. Indicator 11.3.2 of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), which focuses on Sustainable Cities and Communities, seeks to measure the "proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically" (United Nations, 2016). This indicator was almost eliminated, not only due to lack of data, but also due to lack of understanding of these frameworks. The mechanisms that make up these frameworks are known as democratic innovations (DIs) and aim to transfer power to citizens, promote socio-spatial justice, foster inclusion and strengthen trust. They include participatory budgeting, citizen assemblies, e-democracy, public-common partnerships, and others. Understanding how DIs are designed can contribute to transforming democratic institutions toward a new paradigm of urban governance. This work proposes a reference framework for analyzing the institutional designs of DIs. This framework aims to: i) guide design choices aligned with intended objectives; ii) capture the diversity of variables that determine the functioning of DIs; iii) facilitate learning and knowledge transfer across different DIs, contexts, and cities; and iv) link institutional design to contextual dependency. This work is expected to support policymakers and planners in choosing designs that align with their objectives and contexts, provide tools to municipal technicians for adjustments in processes, such as correcting gaps in inclusion and improving communication with citizens, and assist citizens, activists, and civil society organizations by facilitating the renegotiation of choices that restrict participation, in order to achieve greater decision-making power. Finally, this work is expected to contribute to the field of knowledge by offering a robust framework for evaluating and comparing democratic innovations.

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urban governance,democratic innovations,institutional design,evaluation framework