A carregar...
Projeto de investigação
(UN)DESIRED: participatory processes for urban regeneration in the peripheral Eurozone
Financiador
Autores
Publicações
Democratic innovations: is the local scale (still) the ideal laboratory for democracy?
Publication . Falanga, Roberto
The local scale has long been considered the ideal laboratory for democracy because the proximity between electors and elected officials is believed to pave the way to participatory policymaking and democratic improvement. The paper unpacks this assumption by examining tensions emerging from the design and implementation of Democratic Innovations in western countries. The main argument of this paper builds on the acknowledgement that local innovations have become an asset of multiple state levels, multi-actor networks, and constituencies. The local scale holds the potential to be an ideal laboratory if democratic innovations are put into the historical, political, economic, and social context of multi-scalar democracy in different localities.
Cartography of industrial heritage. Transformation and future of dismissed industries in the eastern zone of Lisbon
Publication . Pomesano, Laura; Falanga, Roberto
This study examines the transformation of disused industrial heritage in the eastern area of Lisbon, specifically within the
districts of Marvila and Beato, focusing on the dynamics of urban regeneration following deindustrialisation. The research
highlights how, in a context characterised—similarly to other Southern European countries—by late-stage deindustrialisation, the industrial legacy of these areas has predominantly been repurposed to accommodate activities associated with
the creative and cultural sectors. Using a tripartite methodology comprising a literature review, Geographic Information
System (GIS) mapping, and industrial heritage characterisation through direct observation, alongside engagement with
the ROCK (Regeneration and Optimisation of Cultural Heritage in Creative and Knowledge Cities) project, the study
identified and characterised twelve former factories. Of these, nine have primarily been converted for artistic and cultural
use, while two remain abandoned, emphasising the lack of significant public intervention. The article addresses the risks
of gentrification and the increasing privatisation of industrial sites, raising concerns about preserving the identity and collective memory of these spaces. It underscores the need for integrated policies to ensure the protection and sustainable
management of these sites. The article concludes with reflections on future prospects for safeguarding industrial heritage
in urban contexts.
Youth participation in environmental sustainability: insights from the Lisbon participatory budget
Publication . Falanga, Roberto
Purpose
This article poses the question on whether and how youth participation in environmental sustainability makes a difference within participatory budgets (PBs). This is a question worth asking because PBs have pursued, from the very beginning, goals of social sustainability through the inclusion of social groups that struggle to make their voices heard, as in the case of the youth. As young people show an increasing capacity to self-organise around environmental issues, a knowledge gap emerges as to the contribution that youth can give to environmental sustainability within PBs.
>>>
Design/methodology/approach
The 2021 edition of the Lisbon PB (2021PB) has been analysed through desk research – document analysis using the city council's website as the main source of information, and fieldwork – an organisation of one two-day workshop with 20 young students through a partnership between the local authority and the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon. Methods were applied to retrieve findings on youth participation in environmental sustainability in the 2021PB.
>>>
Findings
The youth show a relative increase of participation in the 2021PB and emerge as a key target group in funded proposals. Convergence with student proposals suggest shared awareness on the role of youth in the pursuit of social sustainability. The success of health-related proposals confirms ownership of (young) citizens over the concept of environmental sustainability, which further relies on the various scopes of funded proposals at both city and neighbourhood levels. In the workshop, students did not stick to specific themes and struggled to connect present criticalities and future imaginaries.
>>>
Research limitations/implications
Focus on one case study necessarily limits the generalisation of findings. Nevertheless, the 2021PB illuminates pathways of research on youth participation in environmental sustainability through participatory budgeting that are worth clearing in the future, such as the role of digital participation, dynamics induced by extreme events as the COVID-19 pandemic and PBs' capacity to intercept environmental activism.
>>>
Practical implications
Decision-makers and practitioners can take advantage of findings to acknowledge the potential of youth participation in PBs to reframe the take of environmental sustainability.
>>>
Social implications
The article provides new inputs for future developments in the operationalisation of social and environmental sustainability through participatory budgeting.
>>>
Originality/value
This article examines original data retrieved from the 2021PB. Data analysis is backed by the literature review of key democratic challenges in social and environmental sustainability within participatory budgeting.
The cost of participation: An analysis of the financial dimensions of participatory budgets in Portugal
Publication . Bogo, Rodrigo Sartori; Falanga, Roberto
Participatory budgeting (PB) is a democratic innovation that allows citizens to deliberate about a share of the public budget. Portugal was one of the most influent countries in this field in the last decade, as PB was implemented at multiple levels. However, few studies have made in-depth research on the financial dimensions of PB, which raises interest as to whether and how citizens' voice has had a significant impact on policy-making. To fill in this gap, this article considers the financial asset of local, regional, and national PBs in Portugal up to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our methodological approach relies on both quantitative data analyzed through Geographical Information Systems and descriptive statistics, and qualitative data retrieved from document analysis. Findings are discussed through four different stages of dissemination in the country, and show that despite significant advancements in this field, impacts in the financial dimensions lay behind expectations.
Unidades organizacionais
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Contribuidores
Financiadores
Entidade financiadora
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
CEEC IND4ed
Número da atribuição
2021.04064.CEECIND/CP1696/CT0001