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The New Urban Democracy Paradigm

Projekt „Volunteers of Berlin“ - © GoVolunteer

Since 1988, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted at least one resolution annually dealing with some aspect of democracy. In 2015, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, global leaders committed to a world in which “democracy, good governance and the rule of law as well as an enabling environment at national and international levels, are essential for sustainable development”.

In the essay “The New Urban Democracy Paradigm”, author Friedemann Walther, Head of the Division for Active Citizenship and Democracy Support of the Senate Chancellery of the federal state of Berlin, outlines initiatives undertaken to sustainably strengthen democracy in their city.

Democracy is under pressure - and from various sides: on the one hand through the spread of hatred and direct attacks against minorities and democratically elected representatives, on the other hand because we are seeing less participation in political decision-making processes with some sections of society being neither heard nor seen.

There are no easy answers to the many challenges facing democracy at the beginning of the 21st century, and certainly no simple solutions. And yet, some strategies are emerging that can help counteract the weakening of democracy and strengthen it in the long term.

Central in this context is the creation of good framework conditions for a vibrant and engaged civil society.

Democracy thrives on participation and on the active involvement of citizens in shaping the community - and not leaving the field to those who spread hatred and divide society.

As the "City of Freedom" and the current European Volunteering Capital, Berlin, with its recent history, sees itself as having a special responsibility to promote civic engagement as a prerequisite for a vibrant democracy. The City of Berlin is therefore investing in the development of infrastructure that promotes engagement (e.g. volunteer agencies, district centres and the engagement portal bürgeraktiv), in the networking of civil society and its digitalisation, in the recognition and appreciation of engagement, as well as in the resilience of civil society in the face of anti-democratic attacks.

Funding is provided for a variety of empowerment measures, for example in the area of political education, but also for projects to support civil society in becoming visible in social networks, resolutely opposing misanthropy, standing by those affected, forging alliances and developing strategies for action against racism and anti-Semitism. In order to send a clear signal against all forms of discrimination and for a strong and vibrant democracy, an annual Berlin Democracy Day was initiated with the support of the state government on 15 September, the International Democracy Day.

Study Visit as part of the Volunteer Capital Berlin 2021

The "systemic relevance" of voluntary engagement became particularly noticeable during the major social challenges of recent years. Many welcome initiatives and volunteers supported refugees in their arrival and in finding their feet in a foreign culture by helping them learn the language, assisting them in their dealings with the authorities and mentoring them - in some cases for years. And during the Covid-19 pandemic, many volunteers gave their time, helping with shopping or offering a sympathetic ear for people who were looking for a way out of loneliness.

Active citizenship is indispensable because it strengthens social cohesion. Being able to help shape society is one of the most important and valuable experiences citizens have in a democracy.

Participation in volutneer activities and the democratic process, is therefore not simply a "nice to have", but crucial for the future of democracy. And the work is never finished, it always requires critical examination, revitalisation and the renewal of participation procedures. The primary goal must be to promote democratic participation in such a way that citizens who have little or no voice in urban society or who have been underrepresented in previous participation processes are given access to active participation.

In recent years, Berlin has launched numerous initiatives to expand and improve the quality of citizen participation. For example, guidelines for citizen participation in spatial urban development projects and processes were developed in a broad discourse between politics, administration, randomly selected citizens and representatives of urban society. Two important measures are now being implemented: the establishment of low threshold contact points for citizen participation both at the citywide level and in all districts, as well as the publication of project lists to provide citizens twith ransparent information about planned projects.

With the reform of the Youth Promotion and Participation Act, the Berlin parliament has strengthened child and youth participation in Berlin. There are children's and youth offices in all the districts, and children's and youth parliaments in some. At many Berlin schools, pupils have the opportunity to jointly managed a certain sum of money within the framework of "student budgets" and to decide by a democratic process what is to be purchased for their school. In this way, democratic action can be practised at an early age.

In 2019, the Berlin district of Tempelhof-Schöneberg initiated neighbourhood-based, intergenerational and intercultural "Wisdom Councils" as part of a model project. The aim of this form of participation was to find out the opinion of citizens on important issues in the district, to get citizens intereted and involved, and to develop proposals for solutions to specific problems in the neighbourhood. Each council consisted of 12 to 15 people chosen randomly. The model was well-received and people were actively interested in taking part. Discussions are currently underway as to whether and how this model of citizens' councils can be transferred to other districts or to the entire city.

Last but not least, the Berlin Senate has launched a state-wide participatory budget, which is to be implemented as a pilot project in 2023. Within the framework of this new instrument of citizen participation, all citizens will be able to submit proposals for investment measures and thus influence the use of budget funds.

None of these measures in isolation is the answer to the challenges described above. But each individual instrument contains potential for more democratic participation.

Many cities in the world become magnets for people by the promise of a better life. This includes providing ways for people to help shape their community and effectively participate in the democratic process.

Every city follows its own path, but we can learn from each other. Berlin will continue to be involved in the network of European Volunteer Capitals and will increasingly involve civil society actors in exchanges with city partnerships and international networks. Because the challenges facing democracy do not stop at national borders, they require us to join hands as democratic metropolises and move forward together to revitalise - and thus sustainably strengthen - our urban democracies over the long term.

References

Volunteer agencies: https://www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv/engagieren/beratung-und-vermittlung/freiwilligenagenturen/artikel.1093763.php

Berlin as European Volunteering Capital: https://www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv/anerkennung/freiwilligenhauptstadt/

“Berlin sagt Danke!” day of action: https://www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv/anerkennung/berlin-sagt-danke/

Berlin Business Award for social engagement on the part of companies: https://www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv/anerkennung/unternehmenspreis/

#Farbenbekennen Award for engagement on the part of refugees: https://www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv/anerkennung/farbenbekennen/

Volunteers’ card: https://www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv/anerkennung/ehrenamtskarte/

“bürgeraktiv” engagement portal: berlin.de/buergeraktiv

Digital-Vereint project: https://www.digital-vereint.berlin/de

“meinBerlin” participation platform: https://mein.berlin.de/

Guidelines for civic participation: https://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/planen/leitlinien-buergerbeteiligung/

Wisdom Councils in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg borough: https://www.berlin.de/ba-tempelhof-schoeneberg/politik-und-verwaltung/dialog-und-beteiligung/buerger-innenrat/