Residents Participation for a Sustainable Community in a Democratic Society (original) (raw)

(2007) Beyond the blocks of flats. The potential for community participation

ENHR 2007 International Conference ‘Sustainable Urban Areas’, 2007

"This study explores the potential for community participation to enhance the environmental quality of owner-built housing in the city of Pitesti, Romania. First, perceptions of the environmental quality of the neighbourhood arising from inhabitants, decision-makers, and architects are explored and their degree of correlation is assessed. Second, an investigation is conducted of the community profile, self-defined objectives and the inhabitants’ and decision-makers’ perception of existing participatory mechanisms. The study develops a model of perception structured on a spatial and a temporal axis in which participants position their ‘urban vision’ of the neighbourhood. The ‘urban vision’ is a mental concept that involves different definition of needs and therefore generates different priorities. A major finding is that inhabitants and decision-makers share a similar spatial perception of the neighbourhood, resulting in a similar set of priorities. The actual content of their ‘urban vision’ as well as the time frame for action significantly overlap. This opens the potential for community participation. In the study neighbourhood, the community is economically mixed, demographically homogeneous and socially secluded but individuals express a high desire to participate to resolve a neighbourhood problem rather than to interact socially to enhance cohesion. However, tools of dialogue are not yet tailored to match citizens’ preferences for direct and informal ways of participation. The study concludes that the community participation in the case-study unit is still tentative. In other words, there is still doubt and uncertainty regarding its successful implementation although there is real necessity and readiness for concessions among actors. However, the study shows that there is need for local authorities to take the lead in finding ways to progress towards a successful experiment."

FACILITATING EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Participatory development currently occupies a prominent and important position in community development practice and discourses (Schafft & Greenwood, 2003). There is a growing increase in the demand for community participation in development projects, with its resultant challenges, advantages, disadvantages and benefits (Alli, N1 & Emery, nd). Participation is a matter on which there is considerable disagreement among development scholars and practitioners. However, it is considered to be an active process by which beneficiary groups influence the direction and execution of a development project. Community participation is the process of seeking and facilitating the involvement of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision (Mdunyelwa, 2008). The principle of citizen participation holds that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process. Community participation may be regarded as a way of empowerment and as vital part of democratic governance. The purposes of citizen participation are to promote transparency, encourage openness in government, and build ownership of development decisions as well as programmes and projects. Community participation encourages citizens to be more engaged in the decision-making processes that have an impact on their local community. It also serves to advance citizens' understanding of how government works and confers upon them the capacity to access governmental decision-making processes. The linkage between citizen participation and community sustainable development is clear. Community participation aims at bridging the gap between the government, civil society, private sector and the general public, building a common understanding about the local situation, priorities and programmes. Citizen participation encourages openness, promote accountability transparency, strengthen commitment of all stakeholders towards improved governance, and directly limit the potential for corruption.

The role of citizen participation in the socio-ecological transition of the city

Despite the growing sensitivity about the effects of climate change, its marked consequences show the risk of continuing with the unilateral imperative of economic growth, characterized by a «consumer intoxication» that has driven this society to the current situation of global chronic lack of resources. In this context, the new approach cannot be reduced to a mere cosmetic repair of a paradigm in crisis” but it needs a change of paradigm to advance towards environmental sustainability and social equity. Therefore, it is important to focus on the fact that a population that is actively involved is a key element in order to activate a change in the way occidental society has to understand nature, and to build real alternatives to the current model of territory occupation based on the ecological paradigm. The approach of this article has its theoretical bases on the Social Production and Management of Habitat (henceforth PGSH), understanding by Social Transformation of Habitat those processes that tend to transform the existing habitat in which citizen initiative has an active role in the decision making. Thus, it is concluded that participation cannot only help transforming the material conditions of the ecological transition of the city, but, from a profound work that requires great efforts by all stakeholder groups involved, it allows to generate a process in which citizens, politicians and technicians grow up and mature collectively.

Community participation for housing development

The aim of this research is to explore the roles of community participation in the development of housing, as the concept is known to be important over the world. The paper also looks at the barriers to community participation in housing development as well as the role of community participation in housing development. Methodology/approach: The study is conducted with reference to existing theoretical literature, published and unpublished research. The study is mainly a literature review focused on the concept of community participation in housing development. Findings: One of the primary findings of this study is that citizens need to build capacity and resources in order to achieve community participation in planning and project development. Also, the study shows that citizen's participation in community development projects does not usually occur by chance, but because certain principles are observed at an acceptable level to the participants and to other stakeholders. Other finding include that Citizens will voluntarily participate in a community activity if they could derive benefit to themselves and the entire community. Originality: The study explores the concept of community participation, as it is seen as a way for locals to influence development by contributing to project design, influencing public policies and choices, and holding public institutions accountable for the goods and services they provide. The study presents a robust background to the concept of 'community' and 'participation', and on the roles of community participation to development project scheduled to change the lives of the citizens. The paper contributes to this body of knowledge.

Citizen participation for better urban green spaces

2016

This policy brief illustrates the resources citizens can bring to green space planning and management, while also providing guidelines for how to design effective participation processes. Policy brief 2 Municipalities across the world can benefit from well-designed participation processes, for example where urban green spaces are concerned. This policy brief illustrates the resources citizens can bring to green space planning and management, while also providing guidelines for how to design effective participation processes. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION FOR BETTER URBAN GREEN SPACES Urban green spaces are crucial for the wellbeing of citizens. A well-designed network of green spaces provides a number of benefits related to e.g. resident health and wellbeing, climate change adaptation and biodiversity, many of which also significantly benefit the economy of municipalities, taxpayers and land owners. Traditionally, urban green spaces have been planned and managed by experts employed by public authorities such as municipalities. However, in recent decades, this public service has been influenced by trends of enhanced governance. This means that today citizen participation is a frequent part of green space planning and management. However, too often participation is not living up to its full potential: resources are not fully activated, opportunities for improving urban liveability are missed and capacities for collaboration are diluted. THE CHALLENGE

Community participation methods in design and planning

Landscape and Urban Planning, 2000

Legitimacy of this social movement was achieved by programs of social reform known as the "War on Poverty." The Community Action Program, funded by the Federal Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) provided the institutional support and political legitimacy for the formation of urban grassroots organizations in support of the demands of poor neighborhoods. Thousands of organizations arose in urban, inner city areas laying the groundwork for a major neighborhood movement in America. The failure, however, of these social struggles to achieve substantial change was due to the diversity of issues related to the community organization movement and the lack of shared common goals. On the other hand, the Alinsky model of community organization tried to organize urban protest, to improve the living condition of the poor, empower the grassroots, and obtain more democracy and greater social justice (Castells, 1983).

A Novel Discussion on Urban Planning Practice: Citizen Participation

In the age of modern democracy, citizen participation process, including all types, is assumed as a major feature of policy, decisionmaking and urban planning fields. Commonly, the process of participation is considered as fundamental to the involvement of citizens in decision-making process in contemporary planning milieu. Since the late 1950s, the role of participation in urban planning practices has become larger and expanding; and after the communicative turn in urban planning theory it is now one of the influential topics of planning agenda. Because participatory processes have become popular and widely used in planning practices from local to national levels; achieving a comprehensible understanding of the theory, objectives, history, of citizen participation process in planning have become vigorous for planners of today. Located within the context described above, the basic concern of this paper is to expand our