Lokaalseteks

Lokaalseteks is a Dutch neologism used in discussions of local governance, civil society and urban innovation to describe locally organized sets of practices, networks, and resources that enable collaboration across actors at neighbourhood or municipal level. The term is not part of standard dictionaries and appears primarily in Dutch-language reports, policy briefs, and project descriptions. In common usage, a lokaalseteks typically comprises several elements: a coordination mechanism such as a local steering group or task force; shared resources including data platforms, meeting spaces, or small-scale funding; and a catalogue of locally relevant projects or services spanning areas like education, health, culture, and housing.

The origin of the word is uncertain. It seems to be a compound of lokaal (local) with a generic element like seteks, a coined suffix. Some sources treat seteks as a shorthand for a “set of techniques” or a “set of projects,” but there is no broad consensus. The concept has been applied in municipal planning, community development and public-sector innovation to describe structured, local‑level collaboration that is adaptive and multi‑stakeholder.

In practice, lokaalseteks are used to align services with community needs, test local solutions through pilots, and share learnings across organisations. Supporters highlight improved responsiveness and co‑creation, while critics warn that the term can be vague and risk conflating distinct initiatives under a single label.

See also: co-creation, local governance, network governance, community resilience.