Citizen participation
Citizen participation
Citizen participation: the key to successful territorial projects
We’re convinced that citizen participation is a fundamental process in the design and implementation of territorial projects.
On the one hand, this approach, centered on the active involvement of citizens, is transforming the way urban spaces are planned and developed. On the other hand, this approach is, among others, a response to social demand for greater participation and democratization in urban planning.
At COREM, our vision, rooted in this participative and cooperative approach, places the use and experience of citizens as one of the essential levers in the design of spaces.
Use: a fully-fledged indicator in urban design
Participatory urban planning is based on a simple but powerful idea: spaces are best designed when they take into account the needs and experiences of users. This approach ensures that projects are not limited to aesthetic or technical considerations, but genuinely respond to the expectations and habits of citizens.
“Listen to Build
Participation: a tool for ownership
This participatory urban planning also guarantees greater ownership of projects by local residents. The process is not only an opportunity for users to share their experiences and take a critical look at a project, it is also an opportunity for them to hear, in return, the various constraints (technical, financial or political) imposed on a project. This appropriation allows us to give depth to the project’s timeframe by showing users the various essential stages of the urban project. This pedagogical aspect is particularly important when a participatory approach is implemented over time. We’re currently experimenting with this with the support of the Citizen’s Council of Outreau’s Tour du Renard district. Our regular involvement over more than a year has not only created a bond of trust between the citizens and the community, but also “trained” the members of the Citizens’ Council in the urban renewal process.
Our methods of citizen participation
Citizen participation can take many forms, such as indoor consultation workshops, on-site surveys, participation stands in public spaces, urban walks, surveys or public forums. Our tools are based on a variety of media: cartography, expression walls, questionnaires, flash surveys, photo language, idea posters, perception emoticons, tools for determining usage values…
We adapt all these methods and tools to the challenges and demands of the players involved, in order to find the most appropriate modus operandi.
By incorporating this feedback into the design process, planners and decision-makers can create more suitable and welcoming spaces. In this context, public communication and territorial marketing are particularly important levers that we also integrate into our processes.
Our participative projects
- Urban planning study prior to requalification of the Wimereux quays (public space survey, participatory workshops)
- Urban Renewal Program for the Tour du Renard district of Outreau (support for the Citizen Council, urban agriculture project consultation workshop)
- Urban and landscape feasibility study of Desvres town center (participatory workshops)