Article

the magazine/newsletter I'm working on is doing a feature on Sustainability this time, so i offered to write an article about RAISE/RAISE plus. I was asked to write about 500 words, I managed to get it down to 670 and told the editor she'll have to edit it some more if necessary! (as designer, I'm the one who will have to squeeze it in!)
Anyway, this is what I've written - see what you think:

The RAISE project – A participatory approach to European sustainability

In Autumn 2005, I took part in a highly original experiment in public consultation. A group of 26 European citizens – one from each of the then countries of the EU, plus Romania – assembled for a series of workshops to learn about and discuss the European Commission-funded research programme on the ‘City of Tomorrow’. We were chosen through a random selection process, not for our expertise in the area of sustainability but as interested laypeople.

The participants were asked to discuss their understandings of sustainability, their vision of sustainable cities, and their opinions of research results in four substantive policy areas: urban governance, transport, built environment and cultural heritage. The outcome of the process was a ‘Citizens’ Declaration on the City of Tomorrow’, presented to the European Commission and Parliament in Brussels in December 2005.

Early in the process, solidarity, mutual respect and friendship developed among the group as issues were argued over and conclusions drawn in each of the categories. The greatest challenge was to condense our thoughts into a maximum ten page document – which was reduced even further to a single A3 tri-folded sheet. The Declaration can be found on the website at www.raise-eu.org/citizens-declaration.html, but among the main conclusions are: the need for involvement of citizens in the development of policy; education for sustainability; and local action.

The most significant outcome however was the creation of a unique group able to reflect views from all over the continent. Once the European Commission’s initial project (and funding) was over came the challenge of how to continue the work we had begun. To sum up sustainability in a single sheet of A3 seems like a hollow exercise, when the essence is about action and participation, particularly at the local level.

The first opportunity to continue came when our Cypriot member, Andreas, was elected as Mayor of the small town of Lefkara, with a vision of increasing participation and involving his fellow citizens in improving the sustainability of the town. It then took two years, and intensive unpaid work by two of the original facilitators, before funding was found to arrange transport for most of the original citizens to Cyprus.

Over two days the group planned and developed a workshop process using similar techniques to those in the original project. The Mayor set up a local meeting in which the project and background were explained, and the representatives from all over Europe met and made friends with the Lefkaran citizens. We facilitated the local people to discuss their hopes and fears for the town, and to generate ideas for creating a more sustainable future for Lefkara.

A month later, we met again in Brussels. Andreas reported back that a number of local groups of 8-10 people each are now meeting regularly in Lefkara to tackle different issues. Our visit was a trigger to encourage the local people to participate outside of the existing political system, and to see that groups of citizens can get together to make a difference.

The emphasis in the Raise process is on citizens acting, not as ‘experts’, but as individuals who have enthusiasm, energy and a wish to be involved. The process is organic, and has developed a long way from the first initiative set up by the Commission. What we offer is a framework, methods and tools for discussing ideas and making sure everyone’s voice is heard, to provide an example and a stimulus.

The future of the group is unclear, funding is hand to mouth, and everything depends on the commitment and enthusiasm of the participants, but it has acquired a life and a momentum of its own. Our next project will return to the original procedure of evaluating research results, this time specifically on transport, and will be meeting for workshops in spring 2008. No longer directly funded by the EC, but carried forward by the goodwill and energies of the group. Maybe thirty people can just save the world – one community at a time.

Linda Hadfield, BFWG Cambridge