Participatory Planning Abroad - Case Studies

The Berlin Strategy determines the main areas for development of the city of Berlin until 2030. The document designates specific parts of the city as so-called transformation areas and indicates the direction for their development. The Strategy defines development goals and proposes practical approaches to achieving them. The concept of transformation areas offers advantages for urban development planning: guiding important development decisions in the right direction and establishing priorities. Last but not least, it enables public and private entities to participate in coordinated group actions.

Between February 2019 and September 2020, BiPart successfully completed a project called “Ideas on the Run” (Idee in Fuga). It was a participatory budgeting initiative carried out in a prison in the Bollate district of Milan. The project provided an educative value for its participants. Throughout its duration, the prisoners met regularly to discuss and develop their project ideas. By doing so, they acquired and practiced active civic skills and participated in democratic discussions. Subsequently, the participants prioritized the proposed projects and continued to develop them into an implementable version. The entire prison community then voted on the best ones of the implementable projects.

High Speed Two (HS2) is a new 530 km long high-speed railway which is set to become the backbone of Britain's transport network. The aim of the project is to connect cities from the south to the north of the island and thereby relieve the existing busy lines, alleviate the overcrowded capacities of some lines and increase the reliability of the railways to the benefit of millions of passengers. The project implementers have committed to involve local citizens in decision-making processes within the Community Engagement Strategy document, which focuses on four key aspects - informing, involving, responding, and consulting. Local inhabitants are invited to share their ideas and problems and thus have the opportunity to influence the final version of the project.

Zagreb For Me is an urban revitalization project in Zagreb that will implement 17 interventions in public spaces in the city. An urban architectural competition will be held for each location. The project was initiated by the Zagreb Society of Architects (DAZ) in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Zagreb. The goal of the project is to improve the overall image of the city and increase the quality of urban life of citizens in areas such as housing, recreation, free time and social cohesion. In addition to improving the quality of public spaces, these interventions will contribute to the creation of a positive relationship between citizens and public spaces, a welcoming atmosphere and a sense of optimism in the city.