This chapter focuses on a specific research project on digital democracy. The McGill Online Design Studio (MODS) deployed a mix of live and online consultation processes, targeted a sustainable land use development project in Montreal, and aimed to increase opportunities for meaningful citizen deliberation about urban design. The experience from MODS (1) reveals that non-state actors can generate institutions that serve rule of law functions but are autonomous from the state and are not in a hierarchical relationship with it and (2) demonstrates that particular attention must be paid to how online forums are designed, in order to ensure that they encourage effective deliberation.