Democracy in Transition
Why and how can citizens and communities be engaged in cities to co-create processes to tackle local urban challenges? Listen to the Europeans currently change-making with governments and making a difference. It all starts with co-creation, culture and creativity.
New Democracy
European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Netwerk Democratie and Pakhuis de Zwijger organise a series of events on democratic and cultural renewal in Europe from a citizen’s perspective. More and more urban communities are confronted with urgent challenges on a daily basis. Many European cities are losing their cultural identity to gentrification processes due to commercial interests. Migration puts new pressures on cities but also offers opportunities to re-think themselves. This debate series explores different city policies and alternative practices which are reinvigorating democracy and transforming our cities and regions for the common good. We will meet people who are part of a growing movement of urban citizen co-development who are tackling issues on urban planning, cultural community initiatives, safeguarding and preservation of public space and participatory governance. The series is part of the Europe by People programme and FabCity campus, in the framework of the Dutch Presidency from January – July 2016.
New Democracy #2
In the evening of 25 February we will co-create recommendations of good urban governance for the EU Urban Agenda. The cities of Bologna, Solin and Leeuwarden have used support of citizens and cultural change-makers to come up with creative solutions for social issues. Our speakers have tested alternative forms of cooperation and come up with new ways of participatory governance:
- Antonija Eremut has demonstrated with the City of Solin that citizens can work together effectively to reclaim public space that had been abandoned.
- Christian Iaione, founder of the think-tank Laboratory for the Governance of Commons (LabGov) is pioneering with students, citizens and the city government on institutional innovation, of which the Bologna’s Regulation for the Care and Regeneration of Urban Commons has been the most impactful.
- Sjoerd Feitsma, Alderman Leeuwarden. Leeuwarden-Fryslân, European Cultural Capital in 2018 has convinced the European Commission with their topic ‘mienskip’ (= community) that participation of communities and culture are driving engines for socio-economic development in Europe.
- Pedro Campos Ponce of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is leading the process towards the EU Urban Agenda of which good urban governance, including citizens’ participation is one of the priorities.
What are good models of public-civil partnerships, how to apply these models and what are necessary steps for citizens and governments in realising participation to tackle urban challenges? During the evening, we will present a publication on European participatory governance practices, published in partnership with EUROCITIES.
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The European Cultural Foundation organises this event in collaboration with Europe by People, Kunsten ’92, Leeuwarden – Fryslân 2018 European Capital of Cultural, Netwerk Democratie and Pakhuis de Zwijger.
