EUKN - Urban Matrix - Citiz@move: a network of 20 cities working on citizen’s participation

Citiz@move: a network of 20 cities working on citizen’s participation

Introduction

Citiz@move was a transnational network of twenty European cities which provided a forum to exchange experience and best practice of innovative ways of involving citizens in urban development.

Description

Citiz@move was a transnational network of 20 European cities set up with the aim of improving citizen participation in urban development
The project facilitated a transnational exchange of knowledge involving the participation of key stakeholders (citizens, city practitioners and experts) in both

the creation of tools for adapting to the local needs of stakeholders
the testing of new practices concerning a) the participation of ethnic minority groups and socially disadvantaged individuals and, b) the integration of citizens into administration management utilising ICT tools.

Citizen participation in local governance has gained importance in policy and development debates recently. Many local authorities are looking into approaches which allow all citizens to participate in service planning, management and delivery.

However, many ordinary citizens are excluded from the governance and decision-making processes which directly affect their lives, despite participatory governance being seen as key tenet of sustainable development. Lack of transparency, responsiveness and accountability are barriers that frequently block ordinary citizens from participating.

Participants

Spain (Sevilla, Toledo, Valencia), UK (Derry, Islington), Denmark (Aarhus, Aalborg), Germany (Gera), Belgium (Charleroi, Bruxelles, La Louviere, Sambreville), Greece (West Athens), Italy (Turin, Cosenza, Misterbianco, Siracusa), France (Valenciennes), Hungary (Pecs).

Network lead

City of Sevilla

Objectives

The network objectives:

To support the transnational exchange of experiences and the dissemination of the knowledge produced between the different stakeholders (decision-makers, city practitioner and citizens) involved in urban and social development mechanisms.
To support the appropriation, of a common system for capitalizing from the acquired knowledge. The purpose of this system is to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and to stimulate the capabilities of the different categories of stakeholders in their operational interactions

Products

The Citiz@Move network comprised 3 working groups, each of which focused on a different sub-theme:

WG 1-The inclusion of ethnic minorities within the political and social process
WG 2-Action on challenges in managing town projects and defining the conditions of citizens’ participation
WG 3-The practical tools for citizen participation at local level based on new ICT

Also, the network produced a ‘travel log book’ –‘A Travel Guide to Participation in Twenty European Countries’ which provides detailed case studies under the three working group themes.

EU involvement

Funded by URBACT programme (Integrated Urban Development Transnational Exchange, Social Inclusion in Europe)

Contact info

City of Sevilla
Phone: +32 477 36 41 22
edpbruselas@skynet.be
http://urbact.eu/fr/projects/citizmove/home.html
Macarena Ybarra (Project Coordinator), tel. 00.32.477.36.41.22 OR 00.34.629.56.33.25

Links

CITIZ@MOVE on URBACT website

Travel Guide to Participation in 20 cities English

Document type

network

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Citizens' participation