A laboratory for participatory decision-making processes in public space regeneration

Summary

Within the PEDIO_AGORA project, a prototype process of participatory planning is developed, based on civic participation, stakeholder engagement and cross-sector partnerships.

Actions and Implementation

The process involved the organization of workshops, through which citizens jointly make decisions creating a shared understanding of the challenges of the square and developing proposals concerning its regeneration. The institutional barriers to citizen participation, the diversity of the stakeholders and communities with conflicting agendas, as well as the heavy working schedules of the citizens can make participation seem elusive. The focus of the project has been to examine the urban regeneration processes by local authorities and to re-structure it in a way that citizens with diverse backgrounds could participate and be heard. Therefore, innovative and easy to follow participation and collaboration methods, such as World Café, Open Space Technology and Collective Mind Map were selected and introduced through workshops in all phases of the urban planning process.

Innovative Initiative

Integrated planning

Resources devoted to delivery

Know more: PEDIO_AGORA (project website) Actors of Urban Change (funding programme website) A place in the sun (article in German) This is how Varvakeios Square will be revived (article in Greek) Regeneration made by citizens (article in Greek) Place Identity Clusters (NGO website) Platform For Political Innovation (video footage)