Porvoo starts a citizens’ assembly in Gammelbacka
As part of the Gammelbacka community project, Porvoo Youth Services launches a new form of participation in which a citizens’ assembly will be experimented. The assembly’s task is to make recommendations for the development of Gammelbacka and to highlight residents' views on the future of the area.
The members of the citizens’ assembly will be selected at random.
– The process will begin with an invitation letter being sent to every household in Gammelbacka. The actual members will be selected from among those who respond to the invitation so that the composition of the council reflects the demographic distribution of the area as closely as possible, says project coordinator Tomi Lassi.
– The aim is to ensure that the panel includes members of different ages, educational backgrounds, and home languages in the same proportions as they live in the area. Other parties interested in the development of Gammelbacka will be involved in the process through a separate survey, Lassi adds.
Valuable experience in participation through the residents’ council
The invitation and recruitment phase for the citizens’ assembly will take place in October and November.
The assembly is expected to provide the city with valuable information on areas residents’ wishes, concerns and expectations. The discussions will focus on topics such as
- opportunities for infill development
- service needs in the area, and
- ways to increase the attractiveness and community spirit of the area.
The work of the citizens’ assembly will be facilitated by experienced participation professionals and civil servants will provide comprehensive information on ongoing and planned development projects to support the assembly’s work.
– The aim of this experiment is to genuinely listen to the residents’ perspective in the development of the Gammelbacka area, improve the attractiveness of the area, and build trust between residents and the city organization, Tomi Lassi states.
The citizens’ assembly experiment will also provide the city with valuable information on how to utilize new forms of participation in urban development and strengthen resident involvement.
