Crowdsourcing is a very efficiënt and effective way for cities to gather ideas on the future of the smart city. This presentation will show how the Ghent Living Lab puts the (smart) citizen first. The citizens we serve and with whom we increasingly work together to make cities truly sustainable, inclusive and open societies. Our approach focuses on the promises and challenges of the knowledge and information society in which we as citizens live and where we need to position ourselves as cities.