Manual for Participative Planning and Socio-Spatial Mapping
The new Participative Manual provides guidance on how to involve people in city planning. Municipalities, architects, and developers can draw inspiration from it.
A participatory process can improve the quality of projects by mutual acknowledgment of each other’s views, reconciling diverging interests and avoiding conflicts, as well as strengthening people’s trust in each other, especially in local governments. The new Participative Manual summarizes the experience of MIB’s experts and practitioners and offers a comprehensive guide for all those who wish to consider the interests of all groups of people present in their projects.
Face-to-face meetings, leaflets in mailboxes, online questionnaires, in-depth interviews or all-day media broadcasts for the public with the opportunity to ask questions. All this is participation, which tries to find common solutions to various problems in urban life. The participatory process could be part of the construction of a new building, the revitalization of public space, a brownfield, or a renovation of an existing building. The aim is to learn about public opinion and requirements for the area, which increases the chances that people will be satisfied with the outcome of the project.
Manual for Better Planning
The nearly 300-page manual on participation was prepared by a team of internal and external experts led by the Urban Studies and Participation Section of the MIB. It is a comprehensive document that can be used by the council, mayors, governors and regional representatives, as well as non-profits, investors, architects, or developers. It summarises detailed guidelines on how to understand, engage and interpret the views and needs of people in a particular setting. There are clear instructions on how to proceed with the participatory process, as well as practical tips on how to avoid common mistakes.
Training
The office team also offers training sessions that convey the principles of the book to the planning practice. The first one took place in May 2022 at Košice City Hall. If you are interested in similar training yourself, please do not hesitate to ask.
Manual of Participatory Planning and Socio-Spatial Mapping in Bratislava
