Case Studies   The Danish Neighbourhood Regeneration Programme. Kvarterløft in Copenhagen

Resident participation – development of resident participation empowerment

The process has been based on resident participation from the very start. Looking back it has been very successful. Although the method tends to appeal to citizens already politically engaged in the neighbourhood: Housing boards, school boards, organisation committees, sport clubs etc., the overall picture is also that citizens are easier engaged in physical than in social planning.

No two groups are alike. When established, they form their own set of rules. In an overall view, it seems like the groups are working in a dialectic process. An example of this is when the housing group wanted more knowledge of the standard of facilities. Together with a renewal consultant they worked out a survey questionnaire. Thus the experts were forced to work out material which the laymen in the working group found useful and the group was raising its level of insight, developing new ideas and setting new goals.

3.6.2 New methods of working together     3.6.4 Special groups