EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Residents positive about Deventer Neighbourhood Approach

Residents positive about Deventer Neighbourhood Approach

Introduction

The study was set up as a way to assess the Neighbourhood Approach by having residents voice their judgement on it and the results it has achieved. A written survey was conducted in February 2003, followed by group interviews. The questionnaire was filled in by 405 residents, a response of 35%.

Description

Three quarters of the residents involved with the Neighbourhood Approach were reasonably to strongly positive. This was particularly true among neighbourhood team members, taskforce members and people who had seen real improvements in their neighbourhoods. People who are less familiar with the Neighbourhood Approach cannot judge whether results have been achieved nor whether these results owe themselves to the Neighbourhood Approach. The Neighbourhood Approach must focus more on publicising improvements and emphasising its involvement in them much more strongly. This is shown in the study "Critical and Inspired: residents’ take on Deventer’s Neighbourhood Approach".

Conclusions

The great majority of respondents indicated that the problem situation had been solved or that something was being done about it and that this was (partly) thanks to the Neighbourhood Approach. Residents do not go to the Neighbourhood Approach so much to achieve something personally or for social contacts, yet the Neighbourhood Approach also fulfils a social function.
The intrinsic objective according to the residents is mainly in the area of quality of life. The lines of communication with the municipality have become shorter and the influence of residents on their own environment has become greater. Where larger-scale or neighbourhood-transcending topics are concerned, they feel that they have no influence.
In the eyes of the residents, reasonable results were achieved in the areas of recreational areas, traffic safety, green areas, social safety, the elderly and adolescents. Unsatisfactory results were achieved where it concerned dog dirt, litter, parking, instilling a sense of responsibility in people, traffic safety and adolescents.
Many respondents find the involvement of residents in the neighbourhood to be unsatisfactory. Adolescents and immigrants in particular are under-represented. In principle, the respondents were in favour of all sections of the population being represented in the Neighbourhood Approach.
If the residents could change anything in the methodology of the Neighbourhood Approach, then that would mainly be in the area of communications. Not only with the municipality, but also among residents groups and neighbourhood teams in the different neighbourhoods. Moreover, neighbourhood programmes should be implemented more quickly.

Contact info

Attema and Van de Wetering, Research Consultancy
Ms. F. Attema

Publication date

26/08/2003

Researcher

Attema. F.

Cities

The city of Deventer, the Netherlands

Links

Attema and Van de Wetering, Research Consultancy (in Dutch)

Press release Deventer Wijkaanpak (PDF, Dut, 12 KB)

Kritisch en bevlogen: bewoners over de Deventer Wijkaanpak (PDF, Dut, 36 KB)