citizen participation - waterfront communities project

� In S c h i e d a m, neighbourhood regeneration involved consultation with existing community
organisations. However these failed to encompass new - often immigrant - residents and were still
largely comprised of white, male and rapidly-aging representatives who had been involved since
the 1970s. A key challenge was to get the new citizens involved. Schiedam piloted a branding
exercise hosting a two day meeting, where many organisations including Islamic organisations and
youth and sports clubs were invited to talk about their past and present experiences in the
neighbourhood such as when they came to live here, what they liked, their children’s experiences,
where they shop, etc. An artist made illustrations, which helped visualise people’s stories and
whether people felt welcome. These were made into postcards which residents could send to one
a n o t h e r.
In the project’s 18 months duration, a number of highly successful community initiatives emerged.
The main qualities of the area were visualised with mobility and the cultural diversity of the area
seen as ke y. This project generated people gaining ownership of the neighbourhood and therefore
feeling a positive relationship with it. A key result was the perception of the area as a ‘patchwork of
20 different neighbourhoods’ -hence a patchwork logo was developed- and that people should
relish this diversity rather than attempting to transform the area into a single unit. This would
require generating different plans for different neighbourhoods in order to reinforce their sense of
i d e n t i t y.
� O s l o is producing an anthology about the “Fjord City”; ’Voices about the Fjord City’. A steering
group has been established in conjunction with Oslo School of Architecture and Norsk Fo r m
Design Institute. The aim is to create a forum for citizens to express their thoughts about what is
happening along the water’s edge. The opportunity is open to everyone, including professionals
and other visitors from other cities and countries. In part this is to counter the fact that few people,
as yet, live in the regeneration area and also to draw attention to the regeneration programme in
the local media.
� On a local level, E d i n b u r g h’ s participation in the Heriot-Watt University Community Planning
module with postgraduate planning students enabled the collection of views from residents along
all the waterfront neighbourhoods on how to achieve physical and social integration and on how to
give existing residents a greater role in waterfront planning. These provided an input for the drafting
of a ‘Vision for the Wa t e r f o n t’. In addition, Edinburgh organised two Waterfront Communities
Project Days at public waterfront venues where views of the general public were sought. Wider
participation of key stakeholders was achieved through the celebration of a Waterfront City
Symposium which brought together representatives of the public and private sectors along with
local community organisations to discuss the future of the waterfront, the proposed waterfront
vision and the creation of a Waterfront Partnership.
learning from other cities
L4
waterfront communities project toolkit 8 5