Before the beginning of the summer, we designed and implemented a participatory process focused on local stakeholders in the town of Lysá nad Labem, Czech Republic. This process was initiated by representatives of the town with the aim to inform key local stakeholders about the town’s future development plans and to gather inputs and feedback from them on this topic. This is the first time that representatives of the town of Lysá nad Labem have done such an extensive participatory project and we are glad that we could be a part of it.
There were several topics that the representatives of the town decided to discuss with its stakeholders through participatory process. A very prominent project for the town is the planned recreational harbor on the river Elbe and a regional cycle path running through the town along the river. An urban study is currently being prepared for the harbor, therefore it was advisable to involve local stakeholders in participation prior to its finalization. The input gathered from stakeholders can be incorporated into the urban study to ensure that the planned harbor meets local needs.
Representatives of the town also wanted to hear stakeholders’ views on how the town can better support the local business environment and local tourism. We also gathered input from stakeholders on the possibility of long-term cooperation with the town council by creating a system of so-called stakeholder platforms.
The participatory process itself was designed as a series of workshops. Stakeholders from a different range of sectors and areas of importance were invited to specific workshops. We approached local associations, representatives of organizations active in the field of culture, social care and education, local entrepreneurs and representatives of the municipality. The workshops were structured around seven different stations that introduced the participants to the main themes of the town’s development and allowed for the collection of input and feedback from the stakeholders. An important aspect of the workshops was the possibility of direct contact between stakeholders and the representatives of the municipality. The mayor always willingly answered the questions of the participants and had interesting conversations with them over the map of the town.
The series of pre-summer workshops brought a number of interesting suggestions that the representatives of the municipality will continue to work with. Participants of the workshops greatly appreciated the opportunity to be involved in planning the development of their town and almost all of them expressed their desire to continue their cooperation and consultations with the town council. Our next task will be to propose the following steps to make this cooperation effective and sustainable.
Do you need help with designing and implementing participatory processes to engage local stakeholders in your town or city? Contact us at info@participationfactory.com.