Grassroots organizations in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, use collective intelligence to develop innovative solutions to the complex social issues the city faces. They emphasize building individual and collective skill sets for the common good, and work towards individual and collective goals. In this way, they use collective intelligence for the citizenry and the common good, tackling social issues through transformative and creative solutions like graffiti, rap, and street art.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Conflict that has reached into the governmental system and involves guerrilla groups has impeded Colombia’s development, leading to a diminishing of the country’s collective intelligence and its ability to work together to address issues. The goal is to provide spaces in the city where opposing groups can resolve conflict in civil, non-violent ways and social issues can be addressed using the collective intelligence of the citizenry.

Social issues undermine collective intelligence

Parra-Agudelo, Leonardo & Choi, Jaz & Foth, Marcus & Estrada, Carlos. (2018). Creativity and design to articulate difference in the conflicted city: collective intelligence in Bogota’s grassroots organisations. AI & SOCIETY. 33. 10.1007/s00146-017-0716-5. 

Creativity and design to articulate difference in the conflicted city: collective intelligence in Bogota’s grassroots organisations

Grassroots organizations encourage and harness collective intelligence to tackle social issues

High conflict areas impede collective intelligence and the collaboration of communities, leading to the degradation of the social fabric and infrastructure of cities. Grassroots organizations in Bogota transform streets from battlegrounds into areas of creativity and places to tackle social issues, allowing the collective intelligence of the city’s residents to be developed and utilized.

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