scholarly journals The Transformative Potential of Active Citizenship: Understanding Changes in Local Governance Practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J.M. Mattijssen ◽  
Arjen A.E. Buijs ◽  
Birgit H.M. Elands ◽  
Bas J.M. Arts ◽  
Rosalie I. van Dam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Social Connectivity ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
The Social ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Path Dependent ◽  
Path Dependent Process

This paper focuses on understanding the transformative potential of active citizenship in green space governance. Through an in-depth case study, we show how citizens promoted the redevelopment of a brownfield into a green space, but eventually also contributed towards a broader co-creative shift in local governance. In this process, we highlight how a shift in citizens’ activities from contestation towards collaboration led to the uptake of citizen-driven discourses and activities in spatial planning. The social connectivity between governance practices is of key importance in this transformation—successful governance practices that involve active citizens can inspire others. Even so, transformation is often a slow and path-dependent process which also depends on an enabling policy environment. Cooperating with authorities provides citizens with power, but also requires alignment with official rules. Creating and maintaining effective partnerships will remain a challenge for citizens and policymakers that strive for societal transformations.

scholarly journals Janus in governance: Interpellations around an educational policy of community intervention in Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Fátima Antunes ◽  
Rosanna Barros
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
The Social ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Alternative Spaces

This article intends to empirically document the ambiguity, even ambivalence, of governance practices[1], through the study of a public policy in Portugal, the Programme InovAction, that stimulates intervention projects in ‘local state of emergency’ territories. In this way, we search to contribute to the debate around the reform of the State and public policies, apprehended through metamorphoses in the coordination of collective action in education. Education, State and governance are viewed as social relationships and sites of social practices; governance is understood as a field in which policies, discourses and practices manifest themselves in neo-liberal hegemonic versions or according to contradictory achievements. The data we mobilize were built on documental analysis and on information obtained through semi-structured interviews (to national, regional and local projects Coordinators, technicians and young people). The unfolding discussion illuminates tensions and contradictions in governance practices of Programme InovAction: the strengthening of collective action may occur simultaneously with the construction of routes and alternative spaces of social exclusion; the reduction of the social responsibility of the school with regards to certain audiences challenges approaches to the construction of a public space of education; the privilege given to known interests has gone side by side with practices to broaden  the local governance circle.

scholarly journals Everyday urbanism and the everyday state: Negotiating habitat in allotment gardens in Berlin

Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Hilbrandt
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Informal Housing ◽  
Allotment Gardens ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Anthropological Literature ◽  
The City

This paper is an inquiry into the powers at play in the everyday practices of making the city, and the social and spatial relations through which those who inhabit its margins put these powers to work. This exploration is based on a case study that considers informal housing practices and their regulation in allotment gardens in Berlin. To trace the mechanisms through which residents work to stay put in these sites, despite regulations prohibiting residency therein, the paper relates a debate on the transformative potential of the everyday to anthropological literature on the workings of the state, embedding this discussion in relational approaches to power and place. Joining these perspectives, I argue that the gardeners’ possibilities to stay put depend on the ways in which they meditate the presence of regulatory practices through their relations to state actors or institutional frames. These mediations not only highlight that people co-construct the order that takes shape, but also point to the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion built up along the way.

Field burning practices in a southern region of Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-447
Author(s):  
Roberto Birch Gonçalves ◽  
Eric Charles Henri Dorion ◽  
Cristine Hermann Nodari ◽  
Fernanda Lazzari ◽  
Pelayo Munhoz Olea
Keyword(s):  
Path Dependence ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Environmental Laws ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Path Dependent ◽  
Cultural Reality ◽  
Path Dependent Process ◽  
Field Burning

Purpose – The practice of field burning has been used for many years in the south regions of Brazil as an ideal way to maintain pastures. The purpose of this paper is to understand if such activity is logically explicable or if it is the result of a cultural reality, being “prisoner” of this technique because of path dependence, within the paradigm of the path dependence theory. Design/methodology/approach – This present research is exploratory. The use of cases study was the most appropriate technique to explore the field burning practices and their impact in this specific region of Brazil, while describing its context, for which limits are not clearly defined. Thus, this research carries out a multi-case study that provides a greater perception than a single case and has an identical methodological structure. Findings – This paper analyzed the reasons why the producers insist with the procedure and identified these reasons are not merely economical. The study demonstrates a clear path dependent process and it became obvious that once the technique is part of the family use history, it anchors a strong conviction that field burning is actually the best technique to be used for land maintenance. Research limitations/implications – This work suggests a need for other specific researches to substantially complement field burning practices to other phenomenon. Practical implications – The fact that alternative techniques are rejected, giving priority to field burning, it may suggest that other situations and practices may be tied to inadequate or less profitable technologies as well (milk, confined raising, pasturing). The study raises the question on the validity of such practice as a paradigm of reason and pragmatism, or as a “Platoons Cavern” in which they are “trapped” in their decision process developed over time. Originality/value – Presence and implications of environmental laws, which tend to be observed by the producers much more because they fear punishment than because they really understand the benefits of its application; showing the government’s failure in teaching and informing the producers about environmental laws.

scholarly journals RETHINKING SOCIABLE GREEN SPACES AMID THE COVID-19 CRISIS: A CASE STUDY OF BATAM, INDONESIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Carissa Dinar Aguspriyanti
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Activity Settings ◽  
Purposive Sampling ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues

Abstract: One of the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 crisis undisputedly is changes in the way people use public spaces including green spaces. Some people despite the social isolation rules still often visit public green spaces to maintain their well-being. This study aimed to rethink how green spaces as a sociable place can be more adaptable to fulfill the new needs of people which have arisen due to the pandemic. Direct-structured observation and semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling were conducted in the park located in Batam, Indonesia. It was revealed that the use of this park as a sociable place has prioritized most on ‘relaxation’ behaviours at one time, followed by ‘affiliation’ and ‘interaction’ behaviours after the pandemic strikes. The ‘affiliation’ activities, nevertheless, were interestingly the top reason for people visiting this park more frequently in a week. The proposed post-pandemic concept of the park as a sociable green space was subsequently conceived around the circulation, furniture, and activity settings with several design strategies as a response to the key issues concerning the social behaviours and health protocol system in this park. Abstrak: Salah satu dampak jangka panjang dari krisis COVID-19 yang tidak terbantahkan adalah perubahan cara orang menggunakan ruang publik termasuk ruang terbuka hijau. Walaupun terdapat aturan isolasi sosial, beberapa orang masih sering mengunjungi ruang terbuka hijau untuk menjaga kesehatan mereka. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memikirkan ulang bagaimana ruang terbuka hijau sebagai ruang publik ramah atau tempat bersosialisasi dapat menjadi lebih adaptif untuk memenuhi kebutuhan baru masyarakat yang muncul akibat pandemi. Observasi langsung terstruktur dan wawancara semi terstruktur dengan purposive sampling dilakukan di taman yang terletak di Batam, Indonesia. Studi ini menemukan bahwa penggunaan taman tersebut sebagai ruang publik ramah telah memprioritaskan perilaku 'relaksasi' dalam satu waktu, diikuti oleh perilaku 'afiliasi' dan 'interaksi' setelah pandemi melanda. Namun menariknya, aktivitas yang berkaitan dengan ‘afiliasi’ menjadi alasan utama orang untuk lebih sering mengunjungi taman ini dalam satu minggu. Usulan konsep taman pasca pandemi sebagai ruang terbuka hijau ramah kemudian digagas terkait pengaturan sirkulasi, furnitur, dan aktivitas dengan beberapa strategi desain sebagai respon terhadap isu-isu utama mengenai perilaku sosial dan sistem protokol kesehatan di taman ini.

scholarly journals Delivering Smart Governance in a Future City: The Case of Glasgow

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Leleux ◽  
C. William R. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Smart City ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
City Council ◽  
The Future ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Vested Interests ◽  
Smart Governance

In 2013, Glasgow City Council received significant funding to develop innovative smart city applications, including the delivery of new electronic public services and the co-production of governance. This case study examines the processes that underpin the ways in which the ‘Future City Glasgow programme’ delivered ‘smart governance’, in the context of a regenerating post-industrial city. We assess the contribution of smart city technologies and data collection and monitoring processes designed to facilitate citizen engagement and sustainable governance practices. The Future City Glasgow programme ran from 2013‒2015, and included the Open Glasgow project, and ‘Demonstrator Projects’ of: Energy Efficiency; Intelligent Street Lighting; Active Travel; and, Integrated Social Transport. Opportunities arose from these demonstrators for developing co-production and legacy initiatives. The case study provides insight into the ways in which citizens and local communities in Glasgow have been engaged in governance processes. This engagement has taken place via traditional and innovative smart city technologies, and in particular in relation to policy formulation, service design and delivery. It finds that the co-creation of governance is shaped by vested interests, that engagement is fragmented and partial, but at the same time new technologies, social media and shared learning opportunities offer innovative new ways for <em>some</em> citizens to influence local governance.

scholarly journals PARTICIPATION IN E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND SMART CITY PROGRAMS: A CASE STUDY OF MALAYSIAN LOCAL AUTHORITY

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lim Seng Boon ◽  
Jalaluddin Abdul Malek ◽  
Mohd Yusof Hussain ◽  
Zurinah Tahir
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Participation Process

Public participation is gaining popularity in local governance practices where the involvement of the public in the decision-making process is essential in promoting good governance concepts. However, local authorities are facing challenges in guiding public involvement in e-government services such as smart city programmes. Hence, this paper aimed to examine the participation process in e-government services and smart city programmes, and later to recommend a framework to assess participation level and process in local context. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, was selected as a case study where interviews and observations were conducted with thematic analysis based on relevant themes. Through the selected attributes and designated questions in the participation framework, time and effort can be saved in addition to clearing the ambiguities of stakeholders who are keen on gaining the authentic participation culture in e-services and smart city programmes. This study has provided new insights on how e-government can be implemented by the local government after adopting a smart city policy in the context of public participation.

Improving Strategic Alignment

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari Hiekkanen ◽  
Anni Pekkala ◽  
Jari Collin
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alignment ◽  
It Governance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Limited Impact ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
Strategic Value ◽  
The Social ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Value Of It

This study aims at providing organizations with new insight on how IT governance practices impact strategic alignment. The research is conducted as an in-depth case study in a large, multinational manufacturing and service company. The case reveals that improving IT governance practices is not sufficient to achieve high alignment, when the understanding of strategic value of IT is lacking. Improved alignment would require that IT is perceived as a strategic function in the organization and the IT governance treated accordingly. Bringing business and IT socially and culturally closer to each other is also required, but improving alignment on the social and cultural dimensions is dependent on the existence of the strategic direction: achieving alignment is difficult without common objectives between business and IT people. In general, the study illustrates limited impact of IT governance practices on alignment without requisite strategic direction.

scholarly journals Neighbouring the different: Social interaction in a Warsaw subarea

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (39) ◽  
pp. 53-63
Author(s):  
Ewa Korcelli-Olejniczak ◽  
Filip Piotrowski
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Governance Arrangement ◽  
The Social

AbstractIn the paper patterns of social interaction are examined, as shaped by an inflow of new residents to an inner-city subarea characterized by a low socio-economic status and featuring ethnic homogeneity. The empirical material is derived from a set of semi-structured interviews conducted by the authors with the area’s inhabitants, and with representatives of local governance arrangement and initiatives. The analysis is based on the concepts of social hyper-diversity, social networks, the concept of place and the research on gentrification. Sub-categories of residents are distinguished by referring to both functional and emotional types of social relations they enter into. The findings point at the formation of networks of integrative nature, mostly such that are supported by the use of common urban space, across the social categories identified, but also to limits and obstacles to social integration, both general and those specific to the case study area.

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