Smart communities connect jcm gs

Can social media promote a “meaningful”
relationship between communities and local
authorities? Lessons from Aveiro, Portugal
POLITICS, LEADERSHIP & STRATEGIC GOVERNANCE
Can technology give a voice to our communities?
Session 5

José Carlos Mota (jcmota@ua.pt) & Gonçalo Santinha (g.santinha@ua.pt)

Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences
University of Aveiro - Portugal

This presentation…
a) Argues that increased community engagement
in policy making creates important benefits

b) Underlines the importance of social media in
these processes

c) Presents a practical case (City of Aveiro,
Portugal): the roots and impacts of three
related civic initiatives

JCMota & GSantinha SMART COMMUNITIES CONNECT - WORLD TOWN PLANNING DAY 2012 Online Conference, 6-7 November

Public participation, community
engagement and Social Media
Public participation & community engagement
A core component of the official discourse
The involvement of citizens in decisions about and the
implementations of social and economic change
Purpose 1: the right for citizens to be involved in the
policymaking process and that their contribution may
promote more sustainable and resilient solutions
Purpose 2: the increase of public accountability for
decisions concerning the allocation of public resources

The introduction of ICT is making its own powerful
contribution, hand-in-hand with other societal trends

In recognition of this importance, the notion of
‘eGovernment’ has become a major focus within EU main
strategic guidelines (e.g. eEurope 2005, i2010, Digital
Agenda - one of flagships of Europe 2020)

Most eGovernment research and practice over the past
years has focused on the notions of i) eServices/
eAdministration and ii) eDemocracy/eParticipation

Considered as a silo, a rather separate add-on to existing organisations and processes
providing inputs for public-policy purposes mostly within formal systems

Not applied in a joined-up manner across government functions


Although new ICT is not the main cause of wider
government changes, it can certainly be a key enabler and
driver of them

Social media are creating a way of participation that allow
users to be: i) (not only) passive consumers of content
and services, ii) (but also) active contributors and
designers in their own right can act as drivers for
collective engagement

Participation (with the “e” contribution) working well is a
one-piece of a government’s broader policy of openness,
transparency and collaboration


A practical case: drawing on
experience

a) Amigosd’Avenida: a civic movement
created in the city of Aveiro (Portugal);

b) Contra o Alboi Cortado ao Meio;

c) Contra a Ponte Pedonal


Aveiro in Europe


Case 1-
Amigosd’Avenida: a civic movement
• A collective blog,
• A civic platform,
• A collaborative dynamic,
• A ‘place’ to debate the future
of Aveiro


Case 1-

• after a public debate regarding
the future of one of its main and
historical avenues (2008) a blog
& mailing-list were created

• a virtual gathering place to share
each ones’ opinion about the
avenue and other related
subjects;


Case 1-
in four years (2008-2012)

Blog:
• 3.000 posts; 120.000 visits;
200.000 pagevisits;
Mailing-list:
• 340 members & 1.000 messages;

inspired other civic movements and
social media networks
• Facebook Group ‘Aveiro 2020’
(more than 700 members)


Case 1-
• first year (2008/2009)
focusing on how one of
the main squares of the
city centre could be
revived both in urban and
cultural terms


Case 1-
• movement launched a manifesto
with key issues for developing
public spaces with quality in
Aveiro (Manifesto pelo Espaço
Público);
• a local film society (Cine-clube de
Avanca) in collaboration with
Amigosd’Avenida promoted a
cinematographic activity called
Aqui/Here (http://www.aqui-
here.com/), with 10 short-films
about 10 different public spaces
located in 10 cities around the
world.

Case 1-
• City Council designed a project
proposal and applied for funding
from the National Strategic Reference
Framework (2007-2013).
• The project – Parque da
Sustentabilidade (Sustainable Park) –
aims at establishing a greenway
crossing on a significant part of the
city centre;
• Even though legislation foresees
public discussion for this type of
projects, citizens were essentially
informed through the Press.

Case 2 –
Contra o Alboi Cortado ao Meio
• Although the requalification of its
historical garden was foreseen, the
proposal also included the design of a
new road that would split the garden in
two units, raising immediately several
questions;
• The potential harmful consequences of
that proposal for recreational activities,
road traffic and not least to the daily lives
of residents, created the appropriate
conditions to set up in 2010 a civic
movement called ‘Contra o Alboi cortado
ao meio’ (Against the cut of Alboi in half);

Case 2 –
• a blog and a Facebook page, with
approximately 2 500 friends
• important initiative emerged
during the discussions held
through digital channels: Alboi
Cortado ao meio? Não! (Alboi cut
in half? No!), a poster that was
disseminated throughout the
community
• the film director and musician
Joaquim Pavão presented a short-
film with a huge impact on the
Internet, radio and national TV.

Case 2 –


Case 2 –
• the integrated use of web-based
technologies allowed spreading
efficiently the movements’ activities,
helped sensitising people to the
issues at stake, enhanced the impact
of the activities and citizens’ voice,
induced civic engagement and
promoted a favourable environment
to alter the project’s proposal.
• in October 2011 the local
government, facing a sensitive
political context changed the initial
proposal.

Case 3 –
Contra a Ponte Pedonal no Canal Central
• The project Parque da
Sustentabilidade also
envisaged controversial
issues, such as the
construction of a pedestrian
bridge over the central water
channel aiming to link the
central park Rossio with Alboi
neighbourhood and related
facilities, like restaurants and
bars;


Case 3 –
• Critics:
– Location;
– visual impact in central
channel (in the hart of the
city);
– gentrification of old
neighbourhood;
– lack of global planning ;
– respect of Urban Plan;


Case 3 –
In 9 months:

• 40 citizens – new civic
movement – new mailing-
list (more than 1.000
emails)
• 1.670 citizens FB page
• blog
http://contrapontepedon
alnocanalcentral.blogs.sa
po.pt/


Case 3 –
Impacts:
• 3.532 citizens subscribing
petition against that location!
• 4 public meetings - strong social
mobilization & Active
citizenship
• Social media has provided the
desirable boost to place the
issue in the national media
agenda, with several TV reports
and newspaper opinion articles
across the country;

Case 3 –
Was produced:
• Technical & Juridical documment;
• Appeal concerning the nature fo the
investment in times of difficulties
and finnantial crisis;
• Sent to National Government,
Regional Auhtorities, Courts
• Despite all the efforts, the local
government did not respond (so far)
to any of the challenges proposed;
• But… a new civic movement was
born! ‘Movimento Cívico Por Aveiro’

Case 3 – … Movimento Cívico Por Aveiro
Participative Itinerant Roadmap
Taking advantage ‘Aveiro
Participative Budget ‘ a group of
citizens from several civic
movements submited a proposal -
a Participative Itinerant Roadmap,
that was selected in a public voting
in a group of 23 projects.

Idea
Encourage the involvement of
citizens and local actors in joint
reflection on the future of their
neighborhood, parish and county
and identifying micro-proposals for
action (low-cost, high impact).

Key lessons learned
1. The capacity of social media to transform virtual opinions
and ideas into real initiatives

They can help but are not a sufficient condition

It is fundamental the presence of a central number of persons that
are able to ‘make the wheels go round’ and engage citizens in
purposive efforts

The number of participants that embrace these movements
through the use of social media is also important, not only in
motivating those already involved and providing fresh ideas, but
also in amplifying the debate outside local boundaries


2. The political reaction to civic movements that seek to
counteract policy decisions

There is an overall perception from elected officials that civic
movements of this kind have no democratic legitimacy

There is no tradition in promoting public participation outside the
common arenas

And this often contributes to the disengagement of communities
from civic activities


3. The pedagogic and constructive nature of these civic
movements and the way social media positively
contribute to this purpose

Citizens mainly express themselves when a lot is at stake for them
personally…

However, they do get involved in such processes when they have
more access to information, notice that there is a common share
of ideas amongst the community and that their voices can be
heard

Social media can create a good support in this regard


4. The recognition of the social media technologies’
significance in promoting citizens’ joint effort to set
direction for their community

A necessary but not sufficient condition for encouraging civic
engagement and public participation in policy making processes

The important role of a small number of key actors to create the
basic conditions for engaging the local community in discussions

Although simple web-based technologies may be easy to use, a
lack of digital skills and education is still noticeable (especially
amongst elderly people)


Final remarks…
An important role for government: to act as a collaboration
platform it needs to pro-actively articulate with communities and
encourage the use of social media and indeed communities are
changing from passive consumers to active users/producers

Case studies show that it is necessary to create the key enablers
and pre-conditions to make things happen (both digitally and non-
digitally)

But one thing is for certain: the way forward must embrace these
new challenges


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