By Filipa Corais
In the previous article, we discussed the importance of mobility planning and, inherently, the relevance of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) as levers for (+) conscious citizenship. In this article, we intend to delve deeper into this aspect of SUMPs, highlighting their potential as an opportunity to empower effective participation in planning processes in general, and in promoting sustainable mobility in particular.
In Portugal, public participation in planning and design processes is often seen as a mere legal requirement, restricted almost exclusively to the technocratic communication of previously defined solutions in a top-down logic. There is therefore an urgent need to make processes more democratic and to promote co-creation across the board in all phases of planning and projects that have a direct impact on people’s lives.
In order to put this issue into context, it is important to revisit the studies of Sherry Arnstein (1969), namely her proposal of the “ladder of participation”, a metaphor that describes the different levels of citizen involvement in decision-making processes. This ladder represents participation as a mechanism for redistributing power, with the aim of empowering and sensitizing civil society.
The first rungs of the ladder refer to non-participatory process practices, which he calls manipulation. At these levels, decisions are imposed on the population without relevant information being shared. The intermediate levels – Information, Consultation, and Involvement – are grouped under the concept of Tokenism, in which citizens are informed or can express opinions, but without guarantees that these will be integrated into the final decisions. Effective participation only materializes from the sixth step – Partnerships – where there is active collaboration in decision-making.
Higher levels include the delegation of power and citizen control, where decision-making-
making effective passes into the hands of the community.
Different approaches to public participation have different impacts on the sense of belonging and the degree of maturity of society to debate and decide on issues that influence the quality of urban life. Hence the importance of reflecting on the governance model we intend to implement.
As part of the SUMPs – as advocated in the European guides and IMT recommendations:
- A new generation of plans is being promoted, based on effective and continuous public participation throughout the mobility planning process.
This new generation of plans provides for moments of effective connection with society at the various stages of the preparation cycle. Thus, - In phase 1, preparation and analysis, planning encourages the participation of stakeholders and citizens;
- In phase 2, strategic development, co-construction of a shared vision is envisaged;
- In phase 3, planning of measures, it is essential to mobilize political and public support;
- In phase 4, implementation and follow-up/monitoring, it is necessary to continuously inform and actively involve citizens and stakeholders.
The principles of Arnestein’s ladder of participation (1969) are evident in this process, and various practical tools are suggested to apply at each stage of this cycle. Thus, the guides recommend the application of techniques aimed at:
- informing stakeholders at all stages of the cycle, such as holding events (outreach actions, information kiosks in public spaces, exhibitions, and dissemination campaigns), distributing posters, brochures, and other information materials, publishing content in the media, and online.
- Consult society through feedback forms distributed at all stages, through the media; questionnaire surveys, and interviews in stages 1 and 2; data collection for the selection of measures and crowdsourcing in stage 3; and evaluation through questionnaire surveys and/or interviews in stage 4.
- Collaborate with society through Focus Groups, in phases 1 to 3; diagnostic and scenario workshops, in phase 1 and phase 2 respectively; seminars in phase 3; and technical visits, Living Labs, in phase 4.
- Empowering society to make decisions, creating citizens’ consultative councils, the possibility of voting, the creation of juries, in the first three phases of the SUMP drafting process; participatory budgeting, in the third phase; and co-creative maintenance processes, in the last phase.
This new generation of SUMPs has thus emerged as a tool for social empowerment, with an impact not only on decision-makers and stakeholders but also on society in general. By fostering (+) conscious and participatory citizenship, SUMPs could inspire new paradigms in planning and design processes.
Best wishes for (+) Conscious Citizenship!
Filipa Corais is a PhD candidate at the School of Architecture of the University of Minho, with a research grant from MIT-Portugal/FCT. She holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Coimbra and a master’s in Urban Environment Planning and Design from the University of Porto. Since 2016, she has served as Head of the Mobility Division at the Municipality of Braga. With teaching experience in various international institutions, she has been recognized for her work in sustainable mobility and conscious citizenship, including the Abayomi Academy International Award 2024.
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References:
Arnstein, S.R. (1969) ‘A Ladder Of Citizen Participation’, Journal of the American Planning
Association, 35(4), pp. 216–224. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01944366908977225.
