Abstract
Advanced technologies are entering citizens’ lives, which can be noticed at every turn. Society is becoming increasingly involved in building, creating and planning a city, district or the nearest place of residence. The quality of the functioning of the local community and the quality of life depends, to a large extent, on the level of social participation. The aim of social participation is to establish a mechanism for meeting citizens’ needs and to achieve citizens’ acceptance of the authorities’ actions. Modern communication techniques greatly facilitate the expression of public opinion and public awareness in this regard has been on the rise. A growing number of new forms of communication using modern technologies are being developed all the time. The aim of the study is to analyze the forms of social participation in city life, inter alia spending financial resources on its development. Attention is also drawn to the most recent ways in which the authorities communicate with the public in order for the latter to express their opinions on the former’s actions. Practical research was conducted for the city of Olsztyn located in the north-eastern part of Poland. Social activity forms were analyzed, including those carried out using ICT technologies. The research shows that access to modern technologies facilitates contact between the city authorities and citizens, which ensures that the policy under implementation is kept in line with citizens’ expectations. Keywords: social participation, smart city, development DOI 10.35180/gse-2019-0016
Highlights
The concept of smart cities appears to be a new paradigm of their development and sustainable social and economic growth [1,2]
Information and communication technologies can significantly contribute to the solution of emerging problems related to city life, for example, the combination of relevant data and information which will make the functioning of the city more efficient
The research conducted under this study focused on the local community’s participation in investment projects implemented in the city using a variety of voting methods
Summary
The concept of smart cities appears to be a new paradigm of their development and sustainable social and economic growth [1,2]. Some of the literature emphasises that in a smart city, ICT systems which acquire data from heterogeneous sources (e.g. gutters, car parks, security cameras, school thermostats, traffic lights, etc.) need to be planned and controlled [3,4]. The role of ICTs in cities is identical to that of these technologies in organisations, i.e. primarily an improvement in productivity through the use of automated processes as well as the support for decision-making, planning and management control processes. Information and communication systems should be used for purposes complementary with the human and organisational capital, and their use should be shaped by political choices and by the urban system (citizens, technology suppliers, local authorities, etc.), depending on the needs and habits [5]. Various patterns of the use of ICTs in cities to reflect various needs can be noted
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