City civic movements in Aveiro, Portugal have contested local spatial planning policies and mobilized towards new futures. By gathering citizens, civic movements have challenged projects, organized debates, and produced alternative proposals. This has improved public participation and led to better decisions. Key lessons are the need for new collaborative planning approaches and clear civic agendas to articulate local concerns with strategic goals. Civic movements add value by bringing new rationales to debates and empowering citizens.

1. 11th Meeting Thematic Group of AESOP Planning and Complexity
Self-organization and spatial planning: in-depth analysis
2nd & 3rd of May 2013 - University of Aveiro
The added value of city
civic movements in local
spatial planning policies:
Discussing the case of
Aveiro, Portugal
José Carlos Mota
Department of Social, Political and
Territorial Sciences - University of
Aveiro
jcmota@ua.pt

2. This presentation/article
will try to contribute
a) to increase the knowledge between theory
and practice regarding new collaborative,
tactical and evidence-based planning
methodologies (approaches)
b) discuss the added value of city civic
movements in local spatial planning
policies/practice

3. Self-organization / City civic movements
• Self-organization, ‘spontaneous
appearence of order or
organization, with ‘global
order’ and ‘local action’ and
distributed over all
components
(collective/robusteness)’
(Heylighen, 2001)
• city civic ‘self organized’
movements, civic initiatives
through networks, based on the
local communities, out of
governemnt control; help to
improve citizen participation.

4. Actor/City civic movements - Concepts
Actor, a set of individuals with a significant number of
common characteristics (interests, motivations and
means) which plays a role in any given stage, influencing
or being influenced by the other actors and may have a
joint project
(Bryson, 2004; Mitchell et a1., 1997; (Crozier & Friedberg, 1977;
Healey, 2011)

5. City civic movements -Role
• Built a tranformative agenda enviosining social inovation
• Need ability, strength, skill, intelligence and willingness to build three
strategic nexus: time, space and practices (Ferrão, 2011):
– Regarding time, ability to combine three different times:
• i) the time course of structural changes (the crisis); ii) the slow time of learning processes
(people, communities and organizations, the slower the more profound are the changes);
iii) the instantaneous time (strength) and ephemeral (weakness) dynamic of civic
movements,
– Regarding space
• i) the need to articulate local concerns with everyday spaces more global (rights and
values​​); ii) the risk of confusing the place with localism, or assert themselves as nymbies;
– Regarding practices
• often a diverse world, fragmented and does not communicate with each other, which does
not have a common language (Local Agenda 21, participatory budgeting, local
development, civic movements of urban heritage protection), ignoring each other, have a
focus, have difficulty in sharing memories, languages ​​and a common project, because they
have common historical, have projects, actors, concepts and methodologies different, but
the purpose and object are close.

6. City civic movements -
Benefits/Potential
• Increased community engagement in a self-
organization source creates many important
benefits.
– it values different kinds of knowledge (scientific, technical and
empirical) and their assertive combination regarding common
concerns or interests.
– it builds a shared understanding, helps the launch of common
goals, and favours a collective action context, especially in an
experimental basis.
– it increases public attention and accountability for decisions
concerning the allocation of public resources.
• Expanding the opportunities for civic self-
organized participation

7. Participation
in Planning
Framework
i) Stakeholder mobilization right from the beginning in the purpose and general objectives definition;
ii) Provide information in a detailed, timely and easy to understand for all involved;
iii) Make an effort to pedagogy and integration of different actors views, creating open and transparent
stages;
iv) Listen to the actors at critical moments, in particular the definition of objectives, theoretical &
operative framework and planning instruments and proposals;
v) Promote participation as a tool for consensus building and for alignment of actors means and
motivations to achieve a collective goal;
vi) Support the development of cooperation initiatives in the design of measures and proposals for
planning;
vii) Promote models of institutional articulation, creating conditions for enabling legal, technical and
financial planning tools and subsequent implementation.
(Mota, PhD, 2013)
Recent research focused on the
methodologies for actor participation
in spatial planning. The theoretical
framework identified seven main
principles:

8. A practical case: drawing on experience
• Several civic initiatives have emerged recently in
the city of Aveiro, Portugal, where the use of
bottom-up and self-organized participation
methodologies have emerged counteracting
local governments’ decisions in spatial planning
(due to controversial options, lack of involvement
and fragile technical grounding), deepening civic
engagement and creating opportunities for joint
reflection and identifying micro-proposals for
action.

9. Cases of Aveiro – Research context
• Flyvbjerg (2002) explained the
reasons that led him to produce the
research and to engage civically:
– the planning methods and outcomes of
Aalborg municipality were not public and
properly justified' as their studies have
shown;
– motivated intervene to call public's attention
to the poor results and to ‘improve the
situation’ (by 'improving' he means 'becoming
more democratic and effective compliance
with the objectives of planning Aalborg ‘;
– Its role was to 'be part of power relations' that
his studies had made clear;

10. Cases of Aveiro – Research context
• President of the European University
Association (Helena Nazaré, former dean of
the University of Aveiro)
– European universities, in general, can serve as
critical thought for the whole society action,
independently and nonpartisan.
– They can contribute to inform public policy and
people in general.
– We can not forget that in a democracy are the
people who determine the governments, are the
people who have a final say in decision making.
And people to take a decision must be (well)
informed'
http://www.ua.pt/uaonline/detail.asp?c=23494

11. Historical Context
• Tertúlias no Trianon (50’& 60’s)
• Congressos da Oposição Democrática (73)
• Plataforma Cidades (2003- …)
Since 2008
• Amigosd’Avenida
• Colectivo ‘Praça Melo Freitas’
• Movimento Cívico ‘Queremos conhecer o
Estudo que fundamenta o abate das
árvores na Avenida’
• Movimento ‘Contra o Alboi cortado ao
meio’
• Movimento Cívico ‘Contra a Ponte Pedonal’
• Colectivo de Cidadãos ‘Reflexão sobre
Estacionamento em Aveiro’
City civic movements in Aveiro improving public
participation

12. From formal to informal arenas (virtual
and physical):
• Collective-Blog (3.000 posts; 120.000 visits; 200.000
pagevisits; 5 years)
• Mailing-list (350 members; 1.000 messages; 4 years
activity)
• Facebook Group ‘Aveiro 2020’ (more than 900
members; 2 years activity)
Emerged eight relevant civic initiatives (250 anos;
Avenida, Praça Melo Freitas, Árvores Avenida, PdS,
Alboi, Ponte Pedonal, Estacionamento)
Different civic movements (neighbourhood, identity,
mobility) involving more than 6.000 people;
No institutionalization; No agenda; Just talk, share ,
produce public opinion and try to improve better
public decisions regarding the future of the city!
City civic movements in Aveiro improving public
participation

13. •Added value –
contesting
public policies
City civic movements in Aveiro improving public
participation

14. • Problem
– The project – Parque da Sustentabilidade (Sustainable
Park) funded by the National Strategic Reference
Framework (2007-2013) – aims at establishing a greenway
crossing on a significant part of the city centre; even
though legislation foresees public discussion for this type
of projects, citizens were essentially informed through the
Press.
• Civic answer
– An informal city civic movement collected 400
signatures to promote a public municipal
assembly;
– A document with concerns was produced and
presented to members of local assembly;
– The Municipal Executive had to present the several
projects for the first time (but no public debate);
• Results:
– Alboi Neighbourhood Civic Movement created and
boosted
– Civic movement against Ponte Pedonal created
– Latter Univ. / ONG / Architects contested some of
the projects
Case #1
Parque da Sustentabilidade

15. • Problem
– Although the requalification of its historical garden was
foreseen, the proposal included the design of a new road
that would split the garden in two units; potential harmful
consequences (recreational activities; road traffic; the
daily lives of residents); Municipality didn’t answer to
neighbourhood concerns;
• Civic answer
– Neighbourhood informal Association; other City Civic
Movements involved
– a blog and a Facebook page (2 500 friends)
– Initiatives protest (a poster was disseminated throughout
the community)
– the film director and musician Joaquim Pavão presented a
short-film with a huge impact on the Internet, radio and
national TV.
– A plan B was proposed and presented to mayor;
• Results
– in October 2011 the local government, facing a sensitive
political context changed the initial proposal.
Case #2
Contra o Alboi Cortado ao Meio

16. Case #3
Contra a Ponte Pedonal no Canal Central
• Problem
– a pedestrian bridge over the central water channel
aiming to link the central park Rossio with Alboi
neighbourhood and related facilities, like
restaurants and bars (integrated in previos PdS);
– Critics: location; visual impact; risk of
gentrification; lack of global planning ; respect of
Urban Plan;
• Civic answer
– new civic movement (40 citizens) working for 2
months mobilized more than 3.500 signitures and
organized 4 public meetings (more than 500
people); issue in the national media agenda;
– Was produced Technical & Juridical documment;
Appeal concerning the nature fo the investment in
times of difficulties and finnantial crisis; Sent to
National Government, Regional Auhtorities, Courts;
• Results
– Mayor decided to stop the process to create wider
consensus; but, the project was too expensive…

17. Case #4
Privatization of Parking in Aveiro
• Problem
– Municipality of Aveiro has open a public contest to
privatize parking at surface (for 60 years) and to build
4 underground parking parks in the city centre;
– The proposal has no technical support and it’s against
a major project of main avenue regeneration;
• Civic answer
– 100 citizens asked for a public debate
– Promoted a public debate with a expert in mobility;
– Invited mayor , political parties and mobility consultants
– Produced a technical document with major
arguments;
• Results
– One of the municipality consultants (lecturer at the
University of Aveiro) wrote a public letter to contest
the project
– The members of different political parties voted a
proposal to recommend the end of the process;
– In the political discussion the technical arguments
from the public discussion where ignore;

18. •Added value –
mobilizing
towards a new
future
City civic movements in Aveiro improving public
participation

19. Case #5
Promoting ‘public space’
• Opportunity
– urban and cultural revived of a main square of the
city centre in the 250th anniversary of the city of
Aveiro;
• Civic answer
– informal self-organization (small group of citizens,
random formation, no previous connections,…)
involved cultural stakeholder to promote a
program Saturday evening live events in public
space
• Results
– launched a manifesto with key issues for
developing public spaces with quality (Manifesto
pelo Espaço Público);
– a local film society (Cine-clube de Avanca)
promoted a cinematographic activity called
Aqui/Here (http://www.aqui-here.com/), with 10
short-films about 10 different public spaces
located in 10 cities around the world.

20. Case #6
Participative Itinerant Roadmap
• Opportunity
– Even in a ‘conflicting’ context…
– Taking advantage ‘Aveiro Participative Budget ‘ a
group of citizens from several civic movements
submited a proposal - a Participative Itinerant
Roadmap, that was selected in a public voting in a
group of 23 projects.
• Civic answer
– Encourage the involvement of citizens and local
actors in joint reflection on the future of their
neighborhood, parish and county and identifying
micro-proposals for action (low-cost, high impact).
– Work with municipality (excellent work with
municipal technicians – education & Participative
Budget Division)
• Results
– Mayor decided to privatize parking in the city without
any public debate (‘what about consensus’?);
– Civic movement decided to stop with the proposal
(for now);

21. City civic movements in Aveiro improving public
participation – contesting public policies
Key-findings:
• Issue (debated in mailing-list /Facebook group);
• Group emerge and structure the agenda of debate;
• Gathering information and produce collaboratively a small report (and
publicize it)
• Organize public debate
• Slideshare (all documents & presentations)
• Send to municipality, institutions, media and citizens
Only in contesting contexts?

22. • Key findings II
– Bring new rationality to debate;
– Challenge the status quo and power relations between
stakeholders;
– Enforce powerless (citizens and neighbourhoods civic
associations)
– Improve a culture of public debate
– Better decisions for the city and citizens
– Mobilize hidden-resources to new public policies and
different way to think about the future of the city
City civic movements in Aveiro improving public
participation – contesting public policies

23. City Civic Movements
key lessons
a) knowledge between theory and practice
regarding new planning methodologies
– New arenas (collaboration platforms) to pro-actively
articulate with communities (change their behaviour
from passive consumers to active users/producers);
– New roles/actors to intermediate Governments/Local
Communities;
– Clear and assertive agendas for the future (not
fragmented projects or ideas);

24. City Civic Movements
key lessons
b) added value of city civic movements in
local spatial planning policies/practice
– There is no tradition in promoting public participation outside
the common arenas;
– Play the game (present arguments, create arenas for debate,
questions actors involved, ask for alternatives);
– Mobilize people to participate – from reactive (present) to
proactive (future);
– Civic actors do get involved in such processes when they have
more access to information, notice that there is a common share
of ideas amongst the community and that their voices can be
heard;