2022 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"
16th Edition
The Remei neighborhood of Vic, where the action is focused, is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city (8,139 people) and with 45% of registered residents of non-EU origin (of 54 different nationalities). It is considered one of the neighborhoods with one of the lowest incomes in Catalonia and at risk of social exclusion.
The experience is based on the demand of the Neighborhood Association of the neighborhood, concerned about the problems related to coexistence, social cohesion, racism, poverty, civility, squatting, etc.
The objectives of the Remei Strategic Plan are:
- To enhance and strengthen the involvement and governance of citizens, so that active agents are co-producers and drivers of the actions to be implemented.
- To combat stereotypes and unfavorable perceptions about the neighborhood.
- Ensure coordination of actions, co-production of actions, participatory interventions and community empowerment.
The methodology of the process for the elaboration and deployment of the Plan is developed in different phases, adapted to the restrictions of the Covid pandemic and the context of the neighborhood. In the preparatory phase, a Framework of Trust was drawn up between the City Council and the neighborhood entities in order to iron out differences and reticence between both parties. This starting point has been key and innovative for the proper functioning of the participation process and the involvement of the key actors, which were initially constituted as a Motor Group and, subsequently, as a decision-making and operational Neighborhood Council. In the participation phase, 19 in-depth interviews were conducted with people from the neighborhood and 8 with municipal technicians, which, together with the responses to the online questionnaire, were the basis for identifying the key axes of the Plan.
In the collection of proposals, information points and workshops in the public space were important in order to involve unorganized citizens and above all to reach people from other origins who use this space a lot. Another innovative mechanism adapted to the COVID context was the self-managed sessions. The Adult School conducted 26 sessions through a manual created specifically for this process.
A key element in the evaluation of the plan was the Trust Framework developed at the beginning. This framework served as the initial evaluation of the process and the crucial starting point for expressing the expectations of the different parties and defining aspects to be included in the plan, as well as for building trust between the parties. At the end of each phase, the actions and results were evaluated through a discussion or questionnaire with the Driving Group in order to be able to adjust the following actions.
A total of 898 people participated in the process, representing 13% of the population over 16 years of age.
The Remei Strategic Plan was approved by the Municipal Plenary, as a Plan with a medium and long term vision, but which specifies actions during the current mandate (2021-2023).
The deployment of the Plan is specified in the creation of the Neighborhood Council, a new participatory process for the remodeling of a park, the creation of two operational working groups, the upcoming inauguration of a reference space in the neighborhood and the Comunalitat project led by the neighborhood agents, which is a turning point for the social and economic improvement of the neighborhood.
https://participa311-vic.diba.cat/processes/remeiparticipa
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