2021 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"
15th Edition 2021
Supports are subject to the following rules:
- You can support up to 5 proposals.
Participatory Process for the Martim Moniz Square (Lisboa)
The Martim Moniz Participatory Process, with the goal of promoting the requalification of this important Lisbon square, used a survey approach by questionnaire and Focus Groups (online). The aim was to know the relationship of the Lisboans with the square and collect ideas for its requalification. The survey was made available on the Lisboa Participa website and in person at Martim Moniz Square. It was a dynamic process, integrating the multicultural reality of that territory, with work in the field, of articulation with the local community and with all citizens in general.
For the statistical analyses, the data from 1009 survey respondents were considered. The data collected was analysed using the quantitative method, with recourse to SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) statistical software for the analysis of closed answers and relationships between variables. The open question of the questionnaire was addressed by grouping according to word clusters. While the evidence gathered from the Focus Groups had qualitative analysis as methodology.
As for the methodology, it is contemplated: Publication of a draft report with the result of the participation, including a period for possible proposals for improvements to the document or complaints; Presentation at a Town Hall meeting of the conclusions of the public participation and a proposal for a preliminary programme of the project to alter the Martim Moniz Square; Technical and specialized participation, open and plural, for the development of spatial proposals (design of proposals that materialize the results of the public participation); Approval, in a Town Hall meeting, of the base programme for the international public tender for the Martim Moniz Square execution project; Involvement of partners in the field, namely, organizations, associations, institutional partners (parish council) and territorial networks.
11 online focus groups (discussion sessions lasting 60 minutes) were held, in order to collect contributions from citizens who usually do not participate in these initiatives (e.g., the international community, the elderly, young people), thus seeking to ensure the inclusion of various socio-demographic groups. The data was analysed by mapping expressions and ideas grouped by themes and recording their frequency (number of people who mentioned the expressions or ideas).
Complementary initiatives also included 1) a work session with the Movement "Jardim no Martim Moniz," to listen to the citizens who created a proposal prior to this participatory process to which is associated a petition with 1600 signatures delivered to the Municipal Assembly on 30 April 2019); 2) a challenge launched through the Parish Council of Santa Maria Maior to the Kindergarten and primary school of the parish for children to freely draw the future of the Square.
In this study, 1156 citizens participated (1009 in the survey + 74 in focus groups + 73 children with drawings) of different age groups, qualifications and nationalities. All of the city's parishes were represented in the survey.
A total of 11 focus group sessions were held, 7 of which with local entities or entities whose activity is carried out in the parish of Santa Maria Maior and which allowed the inclusion of various under-represented groups.
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As a participant on this public process I must say that it has been highly unclear.
My proposal, considering that the green area should make the city considere to remove the underground parking to create a natural water retention zone, hasn't been referred on the final report. It disappear and no one will have the chance to discuss it or think about it! I imagine it has happen the same to others.
This process is totally controlled by the municipality, not in a transparent way, and the final report it is not identified any conflict or diferences to be discussed. The report only referes to the ideas that reinforce the program the municipality already wants to implement.
On the other hand, 89% of the people that participated on this process have a diploma and I'm very confident in declaring that 89% of the people that normally seat and use the square do not have a diploma.
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