Azokan

Azokan is a fictional city-state used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to explore participatory democracy and sustainable urban design. Set in a temperate coastal archipelago across multiple continuities, it is commonly described as governed by layered, citizen-led institutions with a strong emphasis on public deliberation.

The name Azokan is deliberately constructed for worldbuilding and has no consistent real-world etymology.

Government is centered on a General Assembly, composed of neighborhood councils whose representatives elect rotating executive officers and oversee municipal agencies.

The economy blends public services and cooperative enterprises with private initiatives, guided by participatory budgeting and open-data platforms. Education and culture are central, with libraries, maker spaces, public art, and multilingual signage integral to daily life.

History and development: The Azokan project appears in collaborative worldbuilding circles from the early 2010s and is used as a case study for deliberative democracy.

Notable milestones include the Open City Charter and the Year of Public Deliberation in some continuities.

In scholarship, Azokan functions as a thought experiment about governance, urban design, and civic participation rather than a real polity.