In order to improve the diversity our participation measures reach, we need to first have a good understanding of who we are already reaching and why our formats tend to only rarely go beyond these „usual suspects“. In general, one can say that those who participate in traditional „if we provide it they will come“ formats are on average more often male, older, with a university degree, and either employed or retired after a life of full employment. We see that women, the disabled, children and youth, and people with migration background are less likely to be represented in traditional participation events.
The design of participation formats plays a crucial role in who participates - a fact that many people are not aware of. Structural characteristics ranging from presentation language, use of technical terms and jargon, the location, time and duration of events, the size and composition of the group, the methods used, the thematic focus, and the physical and informational accessibility of the location and materials all lead to a self-selection of participants. A public hearing at city hall at 18:00 on a weekday will thus reach a different group than outreach participation at a public park on a Saturday at 11:00.
It is therefore critical to carefully consider who we are trying to reach and set goals and metrics for our participation as a way to measure success and track progress. For example, if we are designing a measure which will affect an entire city in which 50% of the population has a migration background, but our participants were 90% non-migrants, then we have not reached a large part of the population who will be affected by these changes. Or if we are designing a new space for youth in our city, but 75% of the participants in our events are boys, then our designs might not address the needs of the girls in our city.
An important concept to understand here is the difference between equality and equity. Equality means that everyone is treated the same, irrespective of their status or identity, while equity means that different groups are treated differently in order to provide a meaningful equality of opportunity. Those for whom the local language is not their first language might benefit for example from simpler language or translations. Persons with care work responsibilities such as young parents have a lot to manage, especially in the evenings during the week. Events on weekends or which provide entertainment for children or childcare can offer these groups a more meaningful opportunity to participate. And persons with disabilities may require any number of measures to be able to participate, from ramps to sign language interpreters to documents in braille. All of these are examples of an equitable approach to participation - one which takes into account that not all of the residents of our cities are starting from the same resources and capacities.
These approaches are not only good for creating robust structures, spaces and policies which enjoy a broader acceptance by the populace, they also offer meaningful opportunities for lived democratic experiences to a wider range of residents. Involving a larger diversity of residents in municipal decision-making processes promotes ownership and stewardship of the city‘s spaces and structures, and is a low-threshold way for cities to strengthen democracy in Europe.
Dr. Mary Dellenbaugh-Losse