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A Proposition for Bottom-up Local Community Participation through Digital Mapping

A Proposition for Bottom-up Local Community Participation through Digital Mapping Europeization and European urbanistic standards (urban sustainability) have been present in Croatia, as the youngest member, for only a few years, and more declaratively than in practice. Urban renewal, cities' centres revitalization and gentrification are therefore intensive processes, primarily economic in nature (with an increased real-estate value), and mostly beneficial for urban policy makers and economic power holders (investors). Such renewal is often very partial and inconsiderate towards the quality of urban living for citizens, who are mostly excluded from participation without a possibility to influence the future appearance and purpose of space. This is also especially problematic in other city parts, smaller local communities or neighbourhoods, which fulfil residents' everyday needs inadequately. Inadequate infrastructural equipment or reduced public or green areas become threatened while threatening the basic citizens' right to well- being. It is therefore possible to strengthen urbanity, as a fundamental measure of a more or less achieved urban living, only through citizens' greater influence in a bottom-up participation process. Models of bottom-up urban public space design strategies should be adjusted to enter directly into the community and strive towards assisting its residents to make their space more acceptable on everyday level. In Croatian spatial system participation is weak, because commercialization and privatization are at the forefront of directing post-socialist countries' urban development. In this context the value of public spaces and interests is often destroyed. The examples of civic laboratories as possible models of local community action through applying digital technology would therefore be useful and could serve as examples of good bottom-up practice. Given the massive presence of the Internet and social networks, the main idea is to involve citizens in digital platforms and to design, with urban sociologists' and architects' assistance, preliminary research of the situation in every particular neighbourhood. The results would be presented, with citizens' consent, to urban policy and administration representatives to facilitate collaboration. On- line networking of residents and then on-line questionnaires or interviews would initiate the next inevitable phase of bringing residents closer. Such collaboration would motivate residents, but also make city authorities aware of the need to 'leave the office' and respond more openly to citizens' demands, e.g. for improved waste removal and sorting, built or repaired parks and playgrounds, expanded green areas, increased citizens' traffic safety, etc. Such digital mapping of community and citizens' principal needs would mean an attempt to improve participation and extend its duration through phases (problem detection, collaboration and realization). It would be useful to compare the existing positive examples of European participation models, such as the Portuguese, Spanish and Slovenian, to enable their application in the Croatian local space. The institutional city authorities' to date ambivalence towards citizens can surely be challenged more easily through digital technology because it implies the possibility of greater democratisation. This is why it is important and long-term useful to develop models of civic laboratories, as fundamental participation models upon which the future appearance and development of cities will depend. Key words: European urbanistic standards, urban sustainability, civic laboratories, bottom-up participation model, digital mapping of community and citizens' principal needs, on-line networking of residents, community (neighbourhood), Croatia

Bottom-up participation model, on-line networking of residents model, community (neighbourhood), Croatia

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