The green vision of democracy encourages involvement and prioritizes an active civil society. A culture of participation in urban decision-making processes is essential today. Inclusive politics priorities include:
- Real opportunities for residents to influence urban policy
- Social character of projects
- Transparency in political processes
- Guaranteed implementation of results
Why is Participation Necessary?
There is a growing sense of helplessness and disillusionment among city dwellers with the privatization and diminishing scope of municipal government, particularly in municipalities near bankruptcy. Consequently, local election turnout is dropping, especially in low-income urban neighborhoods. Public investments often prioritize large construction projects while neglecting smaller initiatives such as school repairs, road maintenance, and library purchases.
Many citizens feel that city governments prioritize the interests of large investors without first consulting residents on the objectives and methods for urban development.
How to Mobilize for Change?
An increasing number of groups are engaging in political processes, particularly when they disagree with the policies implemented by authorities. In every city, we find evidence that decisions made behind closed doors are no longer passively accepted but generate opposition. Another sign of increased resident involvement in public affairs is the growing number of citizen initiatives and alternative voter lists in local elections and local government elections.
Goals and Impacts of Green Urban Policy:
- Civic participation leads to better decisions! Good participation helps prevent conflicts and distrust between parties and reconcile various interests in the best possible way. Urban communities, politics, and administration benefit from a positive and active culture of participation.
- Elected authorities must redefine their role. They should shape the city, municipality, or county in such a way as to comply with the idea of proper representation of the public interest and work out sustainable compromises between different factions and demands.
- Balance between representative and direct democracy. Our goal is to shape and use a system based on the interdependence between representative democracy, direct participation, and dialogic democracy, which will strengthen the productivity of decision-making processes at the local level.
- Relationship between representative democracy and consultative processes. Participation should be embedded in the practice of city management and governance, extending and complementing existing mechanisms of representation and planning with citizen dialogue.
Guiding Principles of Green Urban Policy:
- Involve residents early and broadly
- Address the expectations that the promise of participation has aroused
- Embrace the diversity of participation methods
- Engage citizens from the earliest stages of major construction and infrastructure projects
- Encourage independent action by citizens
- Develop cooperation with independent local media
- Allocate resources for civic participation
Strong Citizen Participation Paired with Strong Local Government Authority
A strong local government is the foundation of a vibrant local democracy. A new culture of participation enhances trust between citizens, administrative authorities, and politicians. Fulfilling an electoral mandate should be treated as an honor, and it should be motivated by the opportunity to shape policy in a manner rooted in local conditions. The scope of decisions vested in local governments must remain independent of higher authorities, as must the financial resources to which they are entitled.
