Organising social events in the area of planning or implementation

Aim

• Contact and inform stakeholders who are difficult to reach through formal channels.

• Encourage ownership by local stakeholders, and thus the impact and sustainability of green infrastructure solutions.

• Organise events for different purposes:
  1. Social events that encourage citizen participation in the planning, design and implementation of green infrastructure.
  2. Events to understand how residents value green infrastructure and its potential barriers.
  3. Events to create a space for knowledge transfer on the benefits and barriers of green infrastructure.

Description

Social events allow interaction with relevant actors, where organisers, who know the benefits and challenges of green infrastructure, share their knowledge with citizens, and in the same way, citizens convey their knowledge, interests, concerns and doubts related to green infrastructure. Activities such as these are of utmost importance to promote innovation and new solutions that are adapted to the needs and interests of citizens.

Steps

1. Definition of objectives and target group

Define clear and realistic objectives for the knowledge exchange taking into account the target group for the event. For this it is first necessary to do a stakeholder mapping (see guide “Stakeholder mapping”) where you specify what information you want to obtain and transmit.

 SEE-URBAN-WATER: held two social events with different objectives:

Recreational activities in the park: such activities aim to observe how citizens (parents, minors, workers, elderly adults, members of local organisations such as the Neighbourhood Integral Development Association (ADI), church members, etc.) make use of green and public space, enter into interaction with them, inform them about our project and types of green infrastructure, identify residents with interest in the implementation of green infrastructure, and collect contact details.
Display of posters related to the benefits of green infrastructure: this activity aims to inform residents about green infrastructure prototype constructions, explain their functioning and demonstrate support by the municipality. Here it is key to keep the language appropriate to the target group. If they are parents, they are likely to be more interested in the benefits and maintenance costs of green infrastructure and less interested in the technical side.


Example of other social events held in Costa Rica by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ):
(a) Strategic planning in Biological Corridors, Costa Rica: Participatory methods (e.g. talking map, traffic light) and group dynamics foster ownership of local actors, and strengthen collaborative links. See link to this project.
b)   Urban tactical road planning in Desamparados, Belén and San José: different participatory activities to bring people closer to the project and raise their awareness. Activities were carried out in different states or mobility options, managing to develop a mapping of all the elements encountered (traffic lights, green spaces, etc.). See link to this project.

2. Event programming

Identify the most appropriate day and time for the event. This depends on the target group for the social activity. If the target group includes people with traditional working hours, it is appropriate to consider Saturdays for these activities. If it is for the older population or children, the activity can be held in the mornings from Monday to Saturday.

 SEE-URBAN-WATER: The event should be held on a day when most citizens can attend. Generally Saturday afternoons are good days for citizens as they can access social events in their free time.

3. Site definition

Identify the most appropriate locations with sufficient space for participants and related to the area planned for the promotion and implementation of green infrastructure. The location should be easily accessible, centralised, and preferably have green space.

 SEE-URBAN-WATER identified parks in the neighbourhood where green infrastructure prototypes were planned to be implemented that had:
● Green space for recreational use and for poster displays and drawing activities.
● Recreational activities such as swings, seesaw, slide, etc.
● Central location with easy access and high visibility.

4. Budget

5. Permits

Obtain the necessary permits for the execution of the event. If the event is held in a public place, the municipality must give its approval regarding the place, date and time.

Obtain permits from the municipality for the event to be held in a public area.

 SEE-URBAN-WATER met with the municipality to obtain permission for the event in relation to the location and date. It is important to mention here that the selected venue can often change if the municipality deems it necessary. It is therefore important to be flexible in case the event has to be held at a different place and time. It is also important to invite members of the municipality to the event so that the public authorities can gather information about the interests and needs of their residents.

6. Convocation

Invite citizens and project partners to the social event.

Use attractive ways to motivate and attract the attention of citizens to consider attending the social event.

 SEE-URBAN-WATER developed the following steps to invite citizens:

1. Printing of eye-catching flyers.

2. House-to-house invitations to the event where an event organiser could answer any doubts or questions.

3. Personal invitation to members of small businesses such as bakeries and comiderias so that they could sell their products at the event.

7. Execution of the event

During the execution of the event it is important that the organisers arrive a few hours before the event to set up and organise any necessary material for the activities. For example: hanging posters, setting up chairs, tables, music, inflatables, etc.

Once the event has started, the organisers should inform the participants about the objectives, content and programme of the event. Here it is also important to mention how participants will be informed of the results at the end of the event. In other words, mention how and when they will be able to access the results of their participation. This initial stage is key to getting to know each other and building trust between participants and organisers. During the execution of the event, all information from participants should be documented. This can be in the form of recordings, photos, notes, etc. Here you should also make notes on the lessons learnt during the event in order to apply them in future events.

8. Follow-up communication and continuity

After the execution of the event it is important to determine ways to communicate to those who participated, the results of the event and what will be done with them. (The amount and means of communication should be established in the process to follow: this can be through printed or digital newsletters, websites and platforms, social media, whatsApp groups, follow up meetings, phone calls to community leaders, etc.)

Results

• Inform citizens about green infrastructure promotion and implementation activities.
• Encourage citizen interaction and participation in the planning, design and implementation of green infrastructure.
• Collect information on residents’ perceptions and interest in green infrastructure. These perceptions are related to potential benefits and challenges.
• Knowledge transfer from subject matter experts to citizens attending events and vice versa.

Rules

• First map the relevant actors (target group) for the social activities. Here it is important that every actor (within this group) can be informed and invited and therefore has an equal opportunity to participate. Aspects of gender, age, physical conditions, etc. should be considered. If all citizens are invited, even if they are not part of the beneficiaries or relevant stakeholders, it increases the cost of the event and may not generate the desired results.
• It is important to make the event as eye-catching as possible.
• Have recreational activities that invite the target population to attend the event.
• The organisation of the social event is easier if you have a detailed plan of the tasks, budget and information you want to convey. It is important to inform all participants and to have the necessary permits from the municipality.
• Language and form are key to transmit the information from the experts.
• Be flexible in organising events. Sometimes it takes a bit of creativity and ingenuity to determine new and motivating ways.
• In some cases, more than one event may be required and in different formats, dates, times and locations to allow all target groups to participate.
• After the execution of the event it is important to communicate the results obtained to the participants of the social event, in order to avoid mistrust that the actors may have if they are not informed of the results.

Scopes and challenges

• Even if you have a detailed plan for the social event, you have to expect unforeseen events and changes. It is possible that the municipality does not consider the location and date of the event to be suitable. Therefore, it is important to have different options in terms of location and time and to be able to reach an agreement with the municipality.
• Holding social events in traffic areas requires permission by public authorities and possibly support by the police (traffic regulation).
• A big challenge is inviting people to the event. The population may be hearing about such an activity for the first time, which makes them sceptical and reserved about participation.
• Even if you have an entertainment activity such as an inflatable or music, it is important to also channel the interest of the participants towards the main topic of the event: the conceptualisation and implementation of a green infrastructure solution. Otherwise, the objective of the event will not be fulfilled.

References and Additional Information

• Tactical urbanism for road traffic calming. These activities were led by the My Transport project funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) in the framework of the International Climate Protection Initiative (IKI) (see link)

• Biological Corridors Project: Implementation of the National Biological Corridors Programme (PNCB) in the framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy of Costa Rica ( See link)