Think you involve your citizens? Think again.
Join us for a one-day reflection and discovery of the many facets of local democracy
Local governance
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As much as a company benefits from listening to its employees, local government action becomes so much more effective when knowing and involving stakeholders of its area. But how much engagement is your local authority ready to practice? How well do you make everyone’s voice heard? And what is the power of citizen engagement in troubled times? Join us during our Annual Forum on 9 April in Besançon (France) for a one-day reflection and discovery of the many facets of local democracy.
City council decisions on TikTok, participatory budgets, citizens’ assemblies or crowdfunding initiatives – there are so many options for opening up policy-making to those who are affected by it. And the number of tools and approaches to make it happen is almost endless.
What has changed in 35 years’ time around willingness and methods for participation? What is practiced in cities these days and what can we expect from the future for solid and meaningful collaborations?
Join us in Besançon on 9th April for a journey on “engagement for cooperation” during our Annual Forum. The direct involvement of citizens fosters a sense of ownership and trust in institutions. But we all know that the process is not without challenges – especially in present times. Let’s take a day for a site visit, talks and thought-sharing on Wednesday 9 April in Besançon.
Spotlight on Besançon’s participative urban development project “Grette Brulard”
During the morning, we’ll deep dive into how democracy unfolds around a large housing project in Besançon, a city of 130.000 inhabitants. During a walking tour, you will have the opportunity to visit the “Grette Brulard” area. This is an urban development project that converts a 25-hectare site close to the historic center into 600 housing units. The city of Besançon plans to make this district an example of the principle of a “nature-connected” city. One example: contrary to what is usual, the greening of the site will come first, followed by construction. The residents have been involved actively in the planning phase through an advanced participation method. The final result is meant to be a site that combines alternative, collective housing forms with traditional individual homes and high environmental standards with ensuring a balanced social mix of users.
Some details here in French.
How can cities make engagement irresistible: talks & brainstorming
The afternoon conversations will also lead us to reflect on the possible impacts of new technology such as artificial intelligence on participatory processes. Here for you 2 sessions:
🎤14:00-15:15 City Stories Of Citizens Engagement on the energy transition – Testimonial workshop
What is to be expected for the future of city-citizens cooperation on energy topics and how can this impact our energy system? We have experienced people from Mission Publique, an organisation that helps local government organise participatory sessions, from the cities of Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Valencia (Spain). The founder of OpenCouncil, a non-profit supporting cities in making policy-making accessible to everyone will bring the AI perspective into the discussion.
Join the session to hear our invitees share their experiences and take the mic to tell us what engagement means to you.
🧠15:30-17:30 Hold up – a collective intelligence workshop on participation practices
Finally, during a truly participative workshop, you will brainstorm with other participants around the specific challenges and difficulties you may meet in your respective places.
