Citizen participation was at the heart of the decision-making process for this new tram line project for Neder-Over-Heembeek, one of the districts of Brussels. The first stages of large infrastructure projects are often reserved for experts or policy makers. As part of this new tram line project, we wanted to open the debate very early in the project by involving citizens in the first technical discussions and by transparently involving them in the fundamental strategic decisions for its future development. This is why, from the first phase, the impact study (2019-2020), a citizen panel was integrated into the steering committee, made up of design offices in the fields of mobility, infrastructure , stability, the environment, and the project team. Together, they shared their knowledge of the neighborhood and co-decided, through collective intelligence, the route of the tram.
Problems and objectives
The population and workers of Neder-Over-Heembeek companies should benefit from an alternative to the car. Here are the objectives that the new tram line must meet:
- Better connect all the districts of the City of Brussels to the rest of the Brussels-Capital Region.
- Connect important mobility nodes.
- Improve the living environment, safety and conviviality of public spaces throughout the route, thanks to numerous urban developments.
History and context
The Neder-Over-Heembeek district is developing: more than 1,000 housing units were created in Neder-Over-Heembeek in 2021, new jobs are planned at the Solvay campus, at Bpost, at Bruxelles Propreté. In addition, new educational establishments are expected.
After 15 years of significant investments by the city of Brussels, after the development of housing, collective infrastructure and public services, it is mobility which is at the heart of all attention in Neder-Over-Heembeek. A unique possibility, through a tram project, to better connect the district to the rest of the Region is offered to this part of the city. Which will also profoundly improve the quality of public space throughout the route. Today, the city of Brussels, the Region and STIB are proposing the route of the new tram line which will connect Neder-Over-Heembeek to the city center and to the entire Region.
Organizing, supporting and financing organizations
STIB, The City of Brussels
Recruitment and selection of participants
8 representatives with different profiles were sought to compose a citizen panel: 1 representative of traders, 2 representatives of local associations, 5 residents with different profiles in terms of gender, age, place of residence, mode of transport.
The call for applications to participate in the citizen panels was distributed to all residents of the neighborhood. During the call for the first panel, 43 citizens applied. In the end, 8 candidates were selected.
Methods and tools used
During the impact study phase the citizen panel was able to participate in the analysis of the existing situation in terms of mobility and in the organization of a field visit for technical experts. They were also involved in the writing of a survey, which was sent to all residents, in order to ask them about the different criteria that were important to them when choosing the type of public transport: the capacity of the means of transport , movement speed, etc. Once the mode of transport was chosen, the citizen panel participated in the multi-criteria analysis methodology, for which each stakeholder in the steering committee had to assign points to each criterion (infrastructure, potential and accessibility, mobility, town planning and environment). . This resulted in 5 criteria which were decisive for the analysis of more than 23 route options.
Finally, the panel of citizens was able to choose, from more than 23 options, the route that seemed best for the construction of the tramway. In this final negotiation process, each partner in the steering group had an equal voice and a final route was chosen using collective intelligence. This method was also innovative in this type of consent decision-making process.
The citizen panel also participated in the creation of communication tools with citizens, drawing on their expertise as residents / traders / associations. They developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) developed with the project stakeholders, they checked the accessibility and wording of the web page and distributed information on the information evenings.
What happened: processes, interactions and participation
Here are the steps of the participatory process:
01/25/2019 : Ransbeek neighborhood committee meeting
04/03/2019 : information moment
05/21/2019 : panel meeting: explanation of mission, context, tram project
09/18/2019 : public meeting 1: information about the impact study
20/10-04/11/2019 : online survey
11/30/2019 : public meeting 2: multi-criteria analysis presentation
01/02/2020 : public meeting 3: presentation of the tram route
Influence, results and effects
The citizen panel not only participated in meetings with the project team, but they also played an important role in representing the voice of residents, associations and merchants in the neighborhood. They have also been important interlocutors in informing people and explaining ongoing discussions. In total, a group of 350 citizens was affected by the entire participation process.
Analysis and lessons learned
By integrating a citizen panel into the tram project steering committee, this project fully contributed to the objective of transparency and renewal of local policies, where decisions are not taken above the heads of citizens, but with them. It was the first time in Brussels history of a redevelopment project of such magnitude that citizens were given such a place. Furthermore, it was also unprecedented that participation started so early, namely during the project impact study, when it usually only takes place during the construction study.
external links
https://move-nohw.brussels/fr/project