11th Meeting Thematic Group of AESOP Planning and Complexity

Self-organization and spatial planning: in-depth analysis 2nd & 3rd of May 2013 - University of Aveiro

The added value of city

civic movements in local

spatial planning policies:

Discussing the case of

Aveiro, PortugalJosé Carlos Mota

Department of Social, Political and

Territorial Sciences - University of

Aveiro

jcmota@ua.pt

This presentation/article

will try to contribute

a) to increase the knowledge between theory and practice regarding new collaborative, tactical and evidence-based planning methodologies (approaches)

b) discuss the added value of city civic movements in local spatial planning policies/practice

Self-organization / City civic movements

• Self-organization, ‘spontaneous

appearence of order or

organization, with ‘global

order’ and ‘local action’ and

distributed over all

components

(collective/robusteness)’

(Heylighen, 2001)

• city civic ‘self organized’

movements, civic initiatives

through networks, based on the

local communities, out of

governemnt control; help to

improve citizen participation.

Actor/City civic movements - Concepts

Actor, a set of individuals with a significant number of

common characteristics (interests, motivations and

means) which plays a role in any given stage, influencing

or being influenced by the other actors and may have a

joint project

(Bryson, 2004; Mitchell et a1., 1997; (Crozier & Friedberg, 1977;

Healey, 2011)

City civic movements -Role

• Built a tranformative agenda enviosining social inovation

• Need ability, strength, skill, intelligence and willingness to build three

strategic nexus: time, space and practices (Ferrão, 2011):

– Regarding time, ability to combine three different times: • i) the time course of structural changes (the crisis); ii) the slow time of learning processes

(people, communities and organizations, the slower the more profound are the changes);

iii) the instantaneous time (strength) and ephemeral (weakness) dynamic of civic

movements,

– Regarding space• i) the need to articulate local concerns with everyday spaces more global (rights and

values); ii) the risk of confusing the place with localism, or assert themselves as nymbies;

– Regarding practices• often a diverse world, fragmented and does not communicate with each other, which does

not have a common language (Local Agenda 21, participatory budgeting, local

development, civic movements of urban heritage protection), ignoring each other, have a

focus, have difficulty in sharing memories, languages and a common project, because they

have common historical, have projects, actors, concepts and methodologies different, but

the purpose and object are close.

City civic movements -

Benefits/Potential

• Increased community engagement in a self-organization source creates many important benefits. – it values different kinds of knowledge (scientific, technical and

empirical) and their assertive combination regarding common concerns or interests.

– it builds a shared understanding, helps the launch of common goals, and favours a collective action context, especially in an experimental basis.

– it increases public attention and accountability for decisions concerning the allocation of public resources.

• Expanding the opportunities for civic self-organized participation

Participation

in Planning

Framework

i) Stakeholder mobilization right from the beginning in the purpose and general objectives definition;

ii) Provide information in a detailed, timely and easy to understand for all involved;

iii) Make an effort to pedagogy and integration of different actors views, creating open and transparent

stages;

iv) Listen to the actors at critical moments, in particular the definition of objectives, theoretical &

operative framework and planning instruments and proposals;

v) Promote participation as a tool for consensus building and for alignment of actors means and

motivations to achieve a collective goal;

vi) Support the development of cooperation initiatives in the design of measures and proposals for

planning;

vii) Promote models of institutional articulation, creating conditions for enabling legal, technical and

financial planning tools and subsequent implementation.

(Mota, PhD, 2013)

Recent research focused on the

methodologies for actor participation

in spatial planning. The theoretical

framework identified seven main

principles:

A practical case: drawing on experience

• Several civic initiatives have emerged recently in the city of Aveiro, Portugal, where the use of bottom-up and self-organized participation methodologies have emerged counteracting local governments’ decisions in spatial planning (due to controversial options, lack of involvement and fragile technical grounding), deepening civic engagement and creating opportunities for joint reflection and identifying micro-proposals for action.

Cases of Aveiro – Research context

• Flyvbjerg (2002) explained the

reasons that led him to produce the

research and to engage civically:– the planning methods and outcomes of

Aalborg municipality were not public and

properly justified' as their studies have

shown;

– motivated intervene to call public's attention

to the poor results and to ‘improve the

situation’ (by 'improving' he means 'becoming

more democratic and effective compliance

with the objectives of planning Aalborg ‘;

– Its role was to 'be part of power relations' that

his studies had made clear;

Cases of Aveiro – Research context

• President of the European University

Association (Helena Nazaré, former dean of

the University of Aveiro)

– European universities, in general, can serve as

critical thought for the whole society action,

independently and nonpartisan.

– They can contribute to inform public policy and

people in general.

– We can not forget that in a democracy are the

people who determine the governments, are the

people who have a final say in decision making.

And people to take a decision must be (well)

informed'

http://www.ua.pt/uaonline/detail.asp?c=23494

Historical Context• Tertúlias no Trianon (50’& 60’s)• Congressos da Oposição Democrática (73)• Plataforma Cidades (2003- …)

Since 2008• Amigosd’Avenida• Colectivo ‘Praça Melo Freitas’• Movimento Cívico ‘Queremos conhecer o

Estudo que fundamenta o abate das árvores na Avenida’

• Movimento ‘Contra o Alboi cortado aomeio’

• Movimento Cívico ‘Contra a Ponte Pedonal’• Colectivo de Cidadãos ‘Reflexão sobre

Estacionamento em Aveiro’

City civic movements in Aveiro improving public

participation

From formal to informal arenas (virtual and physical):• Collective-Blog (3.000 posts; 120.000 visits; 200.000

pagevisits; 5 years)• Mailing-list (350 members; 1.000 messages; 4 years

activity)• Facebook Group ‘Aveiro 2020’ (more than 900

members; 2 years activity)

Emerged eight relevant civic initiatives (250 anos; Avenida, Praça Melo Freitas, Árvores Avenida, PdS, Alboi, Ponte Pedonal, Estacionamento)

Different civic movements (neighbourhood, identity, mobility) involving more than 6.000 people;

No institutionalization; No agenda; Just talk, share , produce public opinion and try to improve better public decisions regarding the future of the city!

City civic movements in Aveiro improving public

participation

•Added value –

contesting

public policies

City civic movements in Aveiro improving public

participation

• Problem– The project – Parque da Sustentabilidade (Sustainable

Park) funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (2007-2013) – aims at establishing a greenway crossing on a significant part of the city centre; even though legislation foresees public discussion for this type of projects, citizens were essentially informed through the Press.

• Civic answer– An informal city civic movement collected 400

signatures to promote a public municipal assembly;

– A document with concerns was produced and presented to members of local assembly;

– The Municipal Executive had to present the several projects for the first time (but no public debate);

• Results:– Alboi Neighbourhood Civic Movement created and

boosted– Civic movement against Ponte Pedonal created– Latter Univ. / ONG / Architects contested some of

the projects

Case #1 Parque da Sustentabilidade

• Problem– Although the requalification of its historical garden was

foreseen, the proposal included the design of a new road that would split the garden in two units; potential harmful consequences (recreational activities; road traffic; the daily lives of residents); Municipality didn’t answer to neighbourhood concerns;

• Civic answer – Neighbourhood informal Association; other City Civic

Movements involved– a blog and a Facebook page (2 500 friends)– Initiatives protest (a poster was disseminated throughout

the community)– the film director and musician Joaquim Pavão presented a

short-film with a huge impact on the Internet, radio and national TV.

– A plan B was proposed and presented to mayor;

• Results– in October 2011 the local government, facing a sensitive

political context changed the initial proposal.

Case #2Contra o Alboi Cortado ao Meio

Case #3Contra a Ponte Pedonal no Canal Central

• Problem– a pedestrian bridge over the central water channel

aiming to link the central park Rossio with Alboi neighbourhood and related facilities, like restaurants and bars (integrated in previos PdS);

– Critics: location; visual impact; risk of gentrification; lack of global planning ; respect of Urban Plan;

• Civic answer– new civic movement (40 citizens) working for 2

months mobilized more than 3.500 signitures and organized 4 public meetings (more than 500 people); issue in the national media agenda;

– Was produced Technical & Juridical documment; Appeal concerning the nature fo the investment in times of difficulties and finnantial crisis; Sent to National Government, Regional Auhtorities, Courts;

• Results– Mayor decided to stop the process to create wider

consensus; but, the project was too expensive…

Case #4Privatization of Parking in Aveiro

• Problem– Municipality of Aveiro has open a public contest to

privatize parking at surface (for 60 years) and to build 4 underground parking parks in the city centre;

– The proposal has no technical support and it’s against a major project of main avenue regeneration;

• Civic answer– 100 citizens asked for a public debate – Promoted a public debate with a expert in mobility;

– Invited mayor , political parties and mobility consultants– Produced a technical document with major

arguments;• Results

– One of the municipality consultants (lecturer at the University of Aveiro) wrote a public letter to contest the project

– The members of different political parties voted a proposal to recommend the end of the process;

– In the political discussion the technical arguments from the public discussion where ignore;

•Added value –

mobilizing

towards a new

future

City civic movements in Aveiro improving public participation

Case #5Promoting ‘public space’

• Opportunity– urban and cultural revived of a main square of the

city centre in the 250th anniversary of the city of Aveiro;

• Civic answer– informal self-organization (small group of citizens,

random formation, no previous connections,…) involved cultural stakeholder to promote a program Saturday evening live events in public space

• Results– launched a manifesto with key issues for

developing public spaces with quality (Manifesto pelo Espaço Público);

– a local film society (Cine-clube de Avanca) promoted a cinematographic activity called Aqui/Here (http://www.aqui-here.com/), with 10 short-films about 10 different public spaces located in 10 cities around the world.

Case #6Participative Itinerant Roadmap

• Opportunity– Even in a ‘conflicting’ context…– Taking advantage ‘Aveiro Participative Budget ‘ a

group of citizens from several civic movements submited a proposal - a Participative Itinerant Roadmap, that was selected in a public voting in a group of 23 projects.

• Civic answer– Encourage the involvement of citizens and local

actors in joint reflection on the future of their neighborhood, parish and county and identifying micro-proposals for action (low-cost, high impact).

– Work with municipality (excellent work with municipal technicians – education & Participative Budget Division)

• Results– Mayor decided to privatize parking in the city without

any public debate (‘what about consensus’?); – Civic movement decided to stop with the proposal

(for now);

City civic movements in Aveiro improving public

participation – contesting public policies

Key-findings:

• Issue (debated in mailing-list /Facebook group);

• Group emerge and structure the agenda of debate;

• Gathering information and produce collaboratively a small report (and publicize it)

• Organize public debate

• Slideshare (all documents & presentations)

• Send to municipality, institutions, media and citizens

Only in contesting contexts?

• Key findings II

– Bring new rationality to debate;

– Challenge the status quo and power relations between

stakeholders;

– Enforce powerless (citizens and neighbourhoods civic

associations)

– Improve a culture of public debate

– Better decisions for the city and citizens

– Mobilize hidden-resources to new public policies and

different way to think about the future of the city

City civic movements in Aveiro improving public

participation – contesting public policies

City Civic Movements

key lessonsa) knowledge between theory and practice

regarding new planning methodologies– New arenas (collaboration platforms) to pro-actively

articulate with communities (change their behaviour from passive consumers to active users/producers);

– New roles/actors to intermediate Governments/Local Communities;

– Clear and assertive agendas for the future (not fragmented projects or ideas);

City Civic Movements

key lessonsb) added value of city civic movements in

local spatial planning policies/practice– There is no tradition in promoting public participation outside

the common arenas;

– Play the game (present arguments, create arenas for debate, questions actors involved, ask for alternatives);

– Mobilize people to participate – from reactive (present) to proactive (future);

– Civic actors do get involved in such processes when they have more access to information, notice that there is a common share of ideas amongst the community and that their voices can be heard;