urban renewal project ‘ledeberg leeft’epsa2009.eu/files/symposium/workshop_ledeberg.pdf ·...
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Urban Renewal project ‘Ledeberg leeft’
Citizen involvement
6 november 2009
Background
GHENT
General facts and figures
• Overall surface: 15.643 ha• Population: 239.541 (2009)
- Growth/Increase +2000 since 2008 (+0,84%)
- Ranking second to Antwerp, both in Flanders and in Belgium
- Slight female predominance (51,06%)
- 22.254 immigrants (9%)
General facts and figures
• Originated at the confluence (“Ganda”) of the rivers Scheldt and Lys
• Currently situated at the European crossroads of E40 (London-Istanbul) and E17 (Lisbon-Stockholm) motorways, the centre of Europe
General facts and figures
• Ghent-Sint-Pieters railway station: most importantpassenger station of Flanders, international and regional gateway
• Water: port, canal Ghent-Terneuzen, connection with Western Scheldt and North Sea (accessible for ships up to 80,000 tons)
General facts and figures
City of Ghent administration:
4.813 collaborators (2008)- 34% technicians- 11% safety personnel (Fire Department)- 55% administration employees(not included: 1.794 Education Department
1.183 Local Police)
48,41% men / 51,59% women145 locations in Ghent, 450 buildings
General facts and figures
City of Ghent administration:
• Approx. 80 services (grouped into) 12 departments
• Managementteam: Heads of Department(incl. Chief of Police & Fire Departement) + city manager & deputy city manager
- Co-ordination- Communication- Advice (to Mayor & deputies)
Organisation Chart
City Council
Mayor
City Manager
Managementteam
Fin. Department
Dep.Welfare
Autonomousenterprises
Inter-municipal
Co-operation
AldermenMunicipal
npo’s
Ombudswoman
City Collector
Office of the City Manager
Human ResourcesDep.
Dep. FacilityManagement
Dep.Culture
Environ-mental
and Health Dep.
Dep.Education
Dep.City planing and mobility
Dep.City
promotionand
sports
Dep.Employment
andeconomy
Fire-Dept.
Police
Dep.Staff
Services
Background
• The municipality of Ghent wants to attune and achieve its policybased on the desires, concerns and difficulties of its citizens
Basic idea:• participation only succeeds if people are being well informed
• territory-based operations facilitates working procedures to suit the needs of the district
Community based planning: background
Community based planning has a history:
- ‘Interactive policy’- starting in the 1970s with advisory councils and hearings- evolving towards community based planning in the 1990s
- ‘Urban Organisation’ is continuously moving. Since 1995 the city of Ghent realized:
- a new departmental structure- project-based operation: to avoid ad hoc solutions- community based planning
Community based planning:background
A result of this evolution:
Position of community based planning within the organisation:
• Ressorting directly under the mayor, while urban renewal is the authority of a deputy mayor
• Horizontal position throughout the whole organisation: enhancesco-operation between city departments and neighbourhoodorganisations and residents
• Profile of community based planner: link between the citizens and the policy-makers (present in the district and on the level of the policy-makers)
• Political mandate to be the go-between
= boundary conditions to create an optimal environment forparticipation of citizens
Main objectives of community based planning
• offering opportunities to participate in municipal policy
• explain why certain measures are being taken
Creating involvement at a direct living environmentallevel by being present in the district, by visiting localorganisations, by organizing debates between the policy-makers and citizens, etc
Urban Renewal project ‘Ledeberg leeft’: redevelopment of an entirelocal district: an example
An integrated approach based on three cornerstones: linked on a horizontal and vertical level
• Spatial cornerstone: e.g.: infrastructure, public domain
• Social – economic cornerstone: e.g.: stimulate employmentopportunities
• Social – cultural cornerstone: e.g.: eliminate hidden conditions of poverty and loneliness, exchange between social-cultural organizations
Approach: urban development
The urban development was tackled first:
• four external urban development study bureaus were assigned
• core team for daily monitoring:
•Urban Development officer
• cabinet staff member
• staff department representative
Approach: organizational structure
counselling group with
Task: carry out the project, follow up, advice the steering group = advisoryComposition: core members + variabel members: expert municipal officers
brainstorming group
Task: feedback and advice to the steering group + counselling group = advisoryComposition: inhabitants ans local organisations from the district
Steering group
Task: take decisionsComposition: all parties involved, the competent Deputy mayors
and the Heads of Department
Official level
Resident level
Politicallevel
Urban development: Implementation
2 major implementation milestones:
• members of brainstorming group are not specifically trained to interpret a floor plan, procedures, etc.
Customised methods to extend the involvement and empathy
• conversing the vision of the urban development aspect to a broadaudience
Implementation: the brainstorming group
• a dozen consultations in the evening or during the weekend (opportune moment is crucial)
• composition:
• approximately 50 members with variable attendance between 20-35 people
• selection of members based on open call, advertisements in localnewspapers, etc.
• to determine the composition we looked at the plan range:• as regards to geographic level and• for each target group
Implementation: the brainstorming group
• these members became trusted representatives of their network, neighbours, etc. :
“our ambassadors” = result of the process: came spontaniously
Implementation: the brainstorming group
Methods/methodologies:
• going on the binch with a camera: practical exercise in the scope ofthe image quality plan
• replica exercise: street on a scale model with mobile blocks
• writing poems in the scope of redesigning a central square
• the correct baseline and slogan were selected immediately afterestablishing the vision, the brainstorming group contributed in takingoptions and rendering advice.
Implementation: the brainstorming group
Methods/methodologies:
• The variety of methodologies is crucial. Every member should feelconcerned
• also children were involved in our preliminaries
Implementation: conversing a visionto a broad audience
•co-operation with 2 study bureaus: • lay-out and newsletter• exhibition
• the vision was conversed into 6 objectives each receiving their propercolour and icon: ‘the six destined for Ledeberg’
More and more accessible green, better living quality, better and more active service delivery, smoother and safer traffic, more space for meeting people
Implementation: conversing a visionto a broad audience
Implementation: conversing a visionto a broad audience
Implementation: conversing a visionto a broad audience
• indoor exhibition: current state of affairs in Ledeberg and the plans forthe future
• outdoor exhibition:
• specifically developed for people who want to pay a local visit
• walking tour along 14 different locations• all by yourself or a guided tour
• children allowed
• Theme tours with duo guide
Implementation: conversing a visionto a broad audience
• Introduction to the exhibition and starting signal:
• each citizen of Ledeberg received invitation for the opening reception
• short films• highlighting local employees and their experience withLedeberg
• the movies are shown in local shops
• one contact person for the entire project
• during the communication process possibility to give smalladjustments
What is innovative?
• To collaborate with members of the brainstorming group who act asambassadors of the project
• theme tours: owing to the wide offer of interests, more inhabitants arebeing attracted
• Duo guide: tours with urban development expert and inhabitant
• each inhabitant of Ledeberg received an invitation for the openingreception
• teaser movies
Widely known
• The urban renewal project ‘Ledeberg leeft’ is well known
• people are very well informed about the project
• our task to provide the correct information
• logo of ‘Ledeberg leeft’ is often asked for by local organisations to usefor the promotion and communication of their activities = support
• the strong motivation of the staff members
• co-operation of services beyond the departments
• co-operation between officials and inhabitants: reinforces commitment
• numbers of visitors to the exhibition: 569
• participants to the guided tours: 448
Quick wins
Long-term results
• policy-related communication, participation and involvement coupled to the urban renewal project, receive a lot of attention in the localpolicy
• new methodologies have been used, evaluated and adjusted
• other urban renewal projects have been initiated
• our experiences were transmitted and adjusted with new information
questions?
Contact: Nathalie DesmetKeizer Karelstraat 1 – 9000 GentTel.: 09 266 82 53E-mail: [email protected]