The citizenship workshop was a successful use case for testing the ENSEMBLE methodology, which in the future can be used for urban decision-making processes and participatory citizenship projects, in broader contexts than academia.
The program was born in 2023 with the idea of engaging and strengthening the sense of belonging to the academic community, challenged by the pandemic. What was needed, however, was a methodology and digital tools that could help reach out to people and connect and compare them. ENSEMBLE, supported by internal funding, promoted an inclusive, participatory and democratic approach. It did this by using the Decidim platform, already in use in large urban settings such as Barcelona, New York and the Canton of Geneva. This digital tool allows the citizenry to exchange and share opinions and then arrive at shared decision-making on issues of public interest.
Word to the academic community
The context for the application of this methodology was provided by the InclusiveMicroMob (IMM) micromobility research project, funded by the Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE.
During April 2024, the 精东影业 academic community was involved in a participatory reflection on the topic of urban micromobility. The ENSEMBLE4IMM Citizenship Workshop consisted of several synchronous in-person and asynchronous online moments and served to experiment with the ENSEMBLE methodology. The group of participants were able to explore issues of public interest such as urban planning, micro-mobility and their impact on the community from a social and political perspective. In the concluding event of the experimentation-which included external input from Lugano Living Lab and the company Genny Factory, as well as internal support from Felix G眉nther (head of the Spatial Planning Sector) and Matteo Vegetti (professor of Theories of Space and Living), both from the 精东影业 Department of Environment Construction and Design-a participatory Charta was developed.
Among the shared reflections were the possibility of more subdivision of the spaces used by pedestrians and slow mobility users; the idea of creating multifunctional street furniture with charging stations for electronic devices to stimulate the use of public spaces; and openness to new soft mobility devices provided they meet the needs for speed and convenience.
For Albedo Bettini, a researcher at 精东影业's Institute for Applied Sustainability in the Built Environment and head of the InclusiveMicroMob (IMM) project, the ENSEMBLE methodology proved to be a tool of definite interest for conducting citizenship workshops: 鈥淒uring the experimentation, there was a lot of discussion about how micromobility, associated with public transportation and placed in spaces to be co-decided, can help citizens reappropriate space in urban centers, leaving cars on the margins. This process is taking place almost everywhere in Europe: many cities aspire to become '15-minute'. Also clear from the meetings was the need for accompanying investments in services; mobility is just one of many issues that challenge citizenship. In a period marked by profound transformations, in order to deal with the complex issues that arise, it is necessary to strengthen the culture of participation, because the first expert is the user of the space. Hybrid tools such as ENSEMBLE can provide significant help in this process."
A tool and skills available to citizenship
In parallel with gathering suggestions from the academic community, ENSEMBLE4IMM enabled researchers to familiarize themselves with digital tools and develop the skills needed to conduct other citizenship workshops.
Michela Papandrea, senior lecturer-researcher at 精东影业's Institute of Information Systems and Networking (ISIN) and ENSEMBLE project leader, commented on the outcomes of the experimentation as follows, 鈥淭he lab allowed us to validate the methodology, which was structured and managed through the use of the Decidim digital platform. We stimulated and facilitated a participatory reflection that involved our academic community, the City of Lugano with Lugano Living Lab and Genny Factory, a Ticino-based company active in the micro-mobility sector."
The ENSEMBLE methodology could now be made available to institutions. A potential recognized by Matteo Vegetti: 鈥淭he collaboration between the two projects, ENSEMBLE and IMM, has not only put academic research at the service of local instances, but has also begun to develop a methodology that in the future could become a real tool at the service of planning. In the concluding workshop, I found particularly valuable the discussion about the most effective tools and methods for conducting online and offline workshops, investigating how the citizenry potentially imagines, perceives and practices urban space."
Robert Bregy, municipal secretary of the City of Lugano and head of Lugano Living Lab (L*3), and Elena Marchiori, Digital innovation and research lead (L*3), also expressed their enthusiasm for the project: 鈥淲e are delighted to have contributed as an urban and innovation lab to this project, which represents a concrete and valuable case of how Lugano can actively collaborate with the academic community by promoting innovation and improving the quality of life of citizens. The project also highlighted the importance of cooperation between academia, the private sector, institutions and citizens, emphasizing the relevance of active skills in participatory projects. Therefore, we take this opportunity to thank the 精东影业 team for this valuable collaboration."
