DOGA’s societal mission is to promote design and architecture as a method for solving important societal challenges. Citizen’s Tracks is a project that aims to contribute to increased participation in planning processes.
This participation is a legal obligation, but difficult to accomplish in practice. There is a need for tools and methods to involve citizens, so that they can participate to a greater degree in developments in our local communities and physical surroundings that affect the environment and society.
DOGA is looking for three pilot municipalities
DOGA is looking for three municipalities to develop a pilot project to determine how citizens can be involved in urban development and implement the knowledge gained directly in plans and projects.
The project is based on a needs and opportunities analysis on how Citizen’s Tracks should be developed as a service for use in planning in accordance with the Planning and Building Act.
The pilot projects will initially develop guidelines and the content of the Citizen’s Tracks service. This work entails testing tools, methods and systems used by municipalities to inform and involve their residents. The goal is to improve systems and, if necessary, create new ones that can be incorporated into the Citizen’s Tracks.
The project aims to determine the best methods and tools for early and broad participation and, in the future, to create visible results in the form of improvement, change, innovation and communication regarding the municipality’s participation, attitudes and knowledge. The project is managed at the government level and we are working together with parties specialising in research, education and business.
Apply to become a pilot municipality here
To become a pilot municipality and collaborative partner of DOGA, there are a number of concrete expectations and requirements that must be fulfilled.
Principal requirements for pilot municipalities
The pilot municipalities are to be promoted in a national context as an example of ways to improve participation on the citizen, municipality, political, development and other levels. This requires that the municipality is motivated to work towards solving the ‘Participation through Citizen’s Tracks’ challenges together with DOGA and allocates enough resources to this work.
DOGA will select three municipalities to take part in the testing and development of the Citizen’s Tracks project. The pilot municipalities will work in multidisciplinary teams consisting of employees of the community, external parties (proposers, developers, etc.) and current residents in a concrete project or plan. Joint meetings will be organised at DOGA in the autumn of 2017 and spring of 2018. Between the meetings, the municipalities are expected to work on the projects or plans independently, but with the assistance of DOGA.
Collaboration with DOGA promotes the improvement of planning processes in the municipality and can strengthen the municipality’s participation efforts. The goal is increased focus and more resources that hone in on the problems faced by the municipality for one year and from several perspectives:
- Research perspective (in collaboration with NIBR, the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research)
- Student perspective (in collaboration with NMBU, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences)
- Design perspective (in collaboration with service designers and external consultants)
- Architecture and planning perspective (in collaboration with DOGA)
Municipality commitments
The municipalities commit to the following:
- To establish a multidisciplinary project group consisting of representatives from various sectors in the municipality, such as planning/building, social services/housing/education/health/inclusion, culture/sports, road/parks/recreation together with external collaboration partners (proposers, builders, citizen representatives, etc.).
- To establish a 50% project manager position (preferably a municipal employee), who will serve as the contact person for DOGA.
- To attend all meetings with DOGA (up to four before Christmas and several in the spring).
- To embed the project in political and administrative management practices in the municipality.
- To carry out at least one concrete measure/decision/project/implementation related to knowledge procurement.
- To adopt recommendations from DOGA and implement them in concrete plans and projects.
- To provide DOGA with assistance in 2017-18 with regard to information sharing with the project group.
- To contribute to generating local debate on the theme and communicate the results of the project to other municipalities.
- To submit an informal project plan, interim report and final report, as well as present the findings associated with milestones at DOGA meetings.
- General competence and interest in participation.
- ICT/GIS competence and communication.
- To cover the expenses of travel/accommodations in connection with meetings.
DOGA commitments
DOGA commits to the following:
- To serve as a project leader for the national project Citizen’s Tracks.
- To provide expert participation advice and support in relevant projects and measures desired by the community in 2017-18 (extent to be laid down in collaboration agreement).
- To generate greater attention to the municipality on a national and local level (media, specialists, ministries).
- To help the municipality create better and more effective planning processes.
- To help increase participation competence in planning using methods in the municipality.
- To help increase knowledge of the needs of the different groups in city and urban development.
- To help increase knowledge about the use of various tools to improve public space, as well as create new and better tools for social and land use planning.
- To help generate local discussion on participation in city and urban development/planning.
We wish to point out that no funding will be provided for participation in the pilot project.
Application deadline and important dates
The deadline for being considered as a pilot municipality is 25 August 2017.
DOGA is responsible for evaluating all applications. A select number of municipalities will be invited to interviews at DOGA during week 36 before three municipalities are chosen by the steering committed during week 37 (by 15 September at the latest).
The start-up meeting with the municipalities is scheduled for 22 September in Oslo.
More about Citizen's Tracks
You can read more here about Citizen’s Tracks and watch a video from the seminar.
If you would like more information in English, please contact Ingvil Aarholt Hegna at (+47) 98 83 97 75 or iah@doga.no.
