Aim
- Raise awareness of a specific problem in the territory for the collective development of public infrastructure solutions.
Description
Citizen participation in decision-making for infrastructure development requires effective outreach to the community, clearly stating the problem and possible solutions together. The choice of a final solution for implementation and execution must be tailored to the local needs identified in the area of intervention.
Steps
1. Planning the participation process
Initially, the target group and their willingness to get involved in the process must be known. In this first stage, previous organisations among local actors are relevant to continue the existing dynamics in the intervention area. The convening of initial meetings is suggested by the local representatives. The methodology of participation is also established to define the problem and potential solutions.
2. Defining responsibilities
The leaders of the initiatives, as well as the representatives of the institutions involved, should make explicit their role in the process, including the channels of communication, especially the mechanisms for establishing direct contact between the parties involved.
3. Define expectations
The factors limiting the construction of certain solutions should be clearly stated in order to create a joint understanding of the realistic scope of ideas, including economic, time, and liability factors.
4. Follow-up
Within the coordination process, mechanisms should be established to follow up on activities during the initial discussions, as well as during and after the interventions.
Results
An effective participation process improves urban amenities, but also has positive social effects. The increase in community capital and local trust in public institutions is a good indicator of the efficiency of the process. At the same time, it increases the organisational capacity of neighbours and generates greater community commitment to the care and protection of new developments. In addition, emotional aspects from the community towards such infrastructures allow humanising local problems, integrating a more holistic vision by integrating local knowledge in the definition of the problems.
Experience: Graphic communication through social media has facilitated the publicity of participatory events within the municipality of Curridabat, which tend to take place on a fortnightly basis. Involvement projects are commonly related to flood emergencies; generally, those interested in getting involved in the processes are the residents directly affected.
Rules
- Documentation of each step should include agreements, responsible parties and deadlines. In addition, these processes should be conducted in an open manner, allowing for continuous and flexible communication even outside of established schedules. This reduces communication barriers between different actors, although it represents a challenge within individual priorities.
- In addition, maintaining the same decision-makers over time allows for the establishment of strong relationships of trust and closeness. Another key aspect that responsible actors need to keep in mind is patience during communication processes. Listening to different voices can be a lengthy process, so it must be clearly stated which aspects are included in the discussion, as well as which aspects should be omitted due to logistical and time constraints.
Scopes and challenges
One of the biggest challenges in participatory processes is the building of trust between actors and the joint understanding of individual responsibilities. This includes the necessary prudence not to intervene in the tasks of other institutions, aligning such responsibilities between different levels of involvement. Finally, the orientation of the process towards the expected results must take into account budgetary constraints as well as the availability of qualified human resources.