Participatory Tools for Urban Nature Planning and Management

Overview

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The CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) – Participatory Tools for Urban Nature Planning and Management was organised by the University of Bucharest, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg and Universidad Autonoma de Madrid between February 27 and June 23, 2023. The course aimed to review the following topics, urban nature, public participation, and participatory tools such as GIS, Dashboards, StoryMaps, Network Analysis and Multicriteria Assessment. The goal of the course was to improve students’ understanding of the challenges of public participation in urban areas.

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Online Component

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Online discussions took place once per month between February and May. These discussions established the interdisciplinary general knowledge that formed the basis of the course. The topic of each discussion can be found below: 

• February 2023 – Course 1: Participation in urban sustainability

• March 2023 – Course 2: Urban Nature – open lab for participatory practices in urban areas 

• April 2023 – Course 3: GIS as a supporting tool for participatory management of urban nature 

• May 2023 – Course 4: Monitoring and evaluation of participatory practices in urban nature planning and management.

 

Physical Mobility Component

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Between June 19 and 23, 2023 on-site learning took place in Salzburg, Austria. Over the week, experts in different aspects of public participation and urban nature provided insights on the main topics. Students and lecturers engaged in practical exercises and discussions regarding public participation, participatory tools, and GIS. The week also included excursions to various forms of urban nature around the Salzburg area such as Hellbrunn Palace.
The cohort was split into groups to investigate different areas around Salzburg. I was a proud member of the Itzling group. We conducted site visits to the study area, observing and recording the forms of urban nature present. As a conclusion to the week of in-person activities, the Itzling group presented its findings in the study area and proposed potential solutions to enhance the urban nature that is required by the users in the area. 
 

Final Review

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The course offered a great experience for meeting and interacting with students and professors from across Europe. The interdisciplinary nature of the course also provided new knowledge and perspectives about utilising participatory tools for enhancing community engagement, not only for urban nature projects. Due to clashes in my class schedule, I unfortunately missed a few of the scheduled events throughout the week but I was able to achieve the maximum impact of the course. Overall, the course offered a good mechanism for learning about an often-overlooked topic, that is involving the feedback of the people in the planning and development of spaces intended for their usage.