Do citizens become more engaged with their city when they can play a meaningful role in the decision-making process of issues that affect or interest them?
five approaches to
Citizen engagement
Citizen participation in civic life can be central to the good health of a city by developing strong and supportive social networks, creating a positive and inclusive community spirit and building relationships between local government and citizens.
At local government level, citizen engagement implies the involvement of citizens in the decision-making processes of the city, through measures and/or institutional arrangements, so as to increase their influence on public policies and programmes ensuring a more positive impact on their social and economic lives.
And while there is no commonly agreed definition of citizen engagement by local governments globally, the term is also frequently used to describe participation, collaboration, empowerment and consultation, there are common principles that guide it:
Transparency
Engage with the community wherever possible before a decision or change is made and being clear about the purpose for this.
Accessibility
Providing enough information in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways as well as conducting activities in easy to get to locations.
Neutrality
Conducting processes fairly, without judgment or bias.
Integrity
Being clear about how decisions will be made.
Diversity
Encouraging broad and representative participation in community engagement processes.
Equity
Listening to all views, opinions and ideas before reaching a conclusion.
Accountability
Explaining how the information obtained will be used in the decision-making process and communicating the final outcome.
Many research studies show that a government’s decision-making improves when citizens are engaged with community issues. It assists them in better understanding the diverse needs of the community and in turn helps them to develop and deliver improved policies, programmes and services in their cities.
Below are 5 programmes on the use platform being implemented by local governments that facilitate citizen engagement.
1. Collaborative Community Building, Fukuoka, Japan
2. Warehouse of Ideas, Waterford, Ireland
3. Citizens’ Observatories, Bogota, Colombia
4. The City of Rzeszów – a new home for Ukrainian refugees, Resnow, Poland
5. Paraná’s Water Basin Committees, Argentina
For more programmes and policies related to citizen engagement click the link.