From September to October 2017, the 27 members of the Citizens' Council for Dealing with Land in Vorarlberg convened to discuss what a careful and forward-looking use of land in Vorarlberg might look like.
Problems and Purpose
Two key questions were at the center of this mini-public:
- What can a diligent and forward-looking handling of land and soil look like?
- How can future generations find a healthy and sustainable living space as well, which satisfies todays’ needs? [1]
Background History and Context
This mini-public was the first of its kind in Vorarlberg.[1]
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The mini-public was a bottom-up initiative of a network of people concerned with soil and land. They collected almost 1400 signatures (1000 needed), handed it to the regional government, which then had to commission a mini-public (Bürgerrat) on this topic. The organization of the initiative was handed to the “Büro für Zukunftsfragen” and the department “Raumplanung und Baurecht” – in consultation with the initiating group. [1]
Participant Recruitment and Selection
All participants were selected on the basis of representative criteria. It is unclear however which ones exactly were applied. Out of around 600 first-round invitations, 29 responded positively and 27 attended. The final sample comprised people aged between 22 and 72 years old, while they were 17 men and 10 women. [1]
Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The mini-public formulated a set of policy recommendations, which can be clustered around three main topics: (1) affordable housing, (2) keeping natural space, (3) agriculture. [1]
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Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The recommendations were presented at a public Bürgercafé (Citizens’ Café) in front of interested citizens and politicians on October 3rd 2017 in Rankweil (Vinomnasaal). Eventually, a “stakeholder meeting” (Resonanzgruppe) on October 11th 2017 was held, discussing on how the recommendations can be used in the policy process. Along with the participants of the mini-public, politicians, public servants, environmentalists, citizens, and the initiators of the mini-public participated. Recommendations were promised by politicians to be used for the development of the process “Raumbild 2030” – a long term strategy on soil. [1]
Analysis and Lessons Learned
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See Also
Citizens' Council on Mobility in Vorarlberg
Citizens' Panel on Child-Friendly Vorarlberg
References
[1] Paulis, Emilien; Pilet, Jean-Benoit; Panel, Sophie; Vittori, Davide; Close, Caroline, 2020, "POLITICIZE Dataset", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Z7X6GT, Harvard Dataverse, V1
External Links
https://vorarlberg.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2847644/ , https://vorarlberg.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2917409/ , https://vorarlberg.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2870186/ , http://vonunten.at/br-boden/ , https://issuu.com/burofurzukunftsfragen/docs/b_c3_bcrgerratsbericht_grund_20und_
Notes
Data was sourced from OECD (2020), Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions: Catching the Deliberative Wave, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/339306da-en.