Active Involvement Of Citizens Research Articles

Философско-экзистенциальный подход Х. Арендт и экономический подход Ф.А. фон Хайека к изучению сущности тоталитаризма: сравнительный анализ

This article is devoted to the examination of various approaches to totalitarian political regimes. As is well known, in the 20th century, regimes such as Hitler’s in Germany and Mussolini’s in Italy unleashed the largest global conflict; while the regimes of Mao in China, Stalin in the USSR, and Pol Pot in Cambodia resulted in the deaths of millions due to repressions. Based on this, the goal of the work follows: to identify the essence of a totalitarian political regime, the prerequisites and reasons for its emergence, and also to determine what steps modern society needs to take in order to prevent the emergence of such regimes in the future. The article employs logical-analytical research methods that facilitate a thorough examination of the literature, specifically through analysis, synthesis, abstraction, generalization, deduction, induction, analogy, and hypothesis. As a result of the study, the authors conclude on the inadmissibility of totalitarian political regimes from both a humanistic and a rational standpoint, as well as the necessity of active citizen involvement in politics as the sole means to avert their emergence.

Conscious walk: integrating soundscape, biodiversity, and air quality metrics for holistic urban environmental assessment

The impact of environmental noise, poor biodiversity, and air pollution on urban populations poses a significant challenge to public health. Addressing these concerns requires a comprehensive approach that considers the perceptual experiences of citizens and objective environmental data. The Conscious Walks introduce a hybrid methodology designed to address the perceptive impact of citizens on their environment. Conscious Walks are citizen-science participative projects that combine the active involvement of citizens with scientific data collection. Implemented and tested in Barcelona, Conscious Walks provide a unique opportunity to assess urban soundscapes, and this contribution specifically evaluates the soundscapes of the Ciutadella Park in Barcelona for three consecutive years. The gathered data is carefully cross-referenced with information on air quality and biodiversity obtained during the walks. The novelty of this research lies in the development of integrated indicators that comprehensively capture the interplay between biodiversity, noise pollution, and air pollution. These indicators provide an understanding of urban environmental quality, offering valuable insights for sustainable urban planning and policy-making. The results presented in this contribution underscore the significance of adopting holistic methodologies to address the complex challenges posed by urban environments, emphasizing the need for integrated indicators in assessing the multifaceted aspects of urban sustainability.

Ubiquitous processes strengthening neighbourhood communities: How neighbourhood‐related social media can foster the active involvement of citizens and build resilient communities

AbstractModern local communities are undergoing deep changes due to modern social and cultural processes and to the widespread use of ubiquitous, neighbourhood‐related social media. Indeed, the latter shape citizens' experiences in terms of both local relationships and opportunities for shared aims and behaviours. Therefore, this study endeavours to unravel the impact of neighbourhood‐related social media on users' sense of community (SoC), sense of responsible togetherness (SoRT), and perceptions of community resilience via their potential in enhancing their informal neighbouring behaviours and civic engagement. Nine hundred and sixty‐five Italian citizens (30.1% males; Mage = 22.80; SDage = 4.88) answered an online questionnaire; Structural Equation Modelling was used to run a multiple sequential mediation model having community resilience as the final outcome. The results confirm the positive relationship of such social media with users' informal neighbouring behaviours and civic engagement but show that only civic engagement mediates its relationships with SoC, SoRT, and perceptions of community resilience. Altogether, this opens interesting venues for future developments in both research and intervention fields, with reference to (a) further unravelling the intertwinement between online and local social dynamics and environments, and (b) better understanding how such intertwinement and this kind of social media could represent tools for the promotion of community building processes and of local resilience in community interventions.

Citizen Participation Practices in the Governance of Local Food Systems: A Literature Review

Traditionally, food system governance has been executed at provincial, national, or supranational levels, but recently, there has been an increasing trend of local areas coordinating initiatives to influence their own food systems. They are distinguished by their focus on the principles of food democracy, especially in terms of citizen participation. Although initiatives to boost citizen collaboration in local food systems are on the rise, achieving active citizen involvement can prove challenging. This study aims to understand citizen engagement and participation in local food systems at the regional, municipal, or neighborhood levels. A narrative literature review was performed, covering academic and gray literature and using descriptive statistics and semi-inductive thematic analysis. The analysis identified five categories of local food system citizen participation programs, i.e., governance committees that include citizens, citizen working groups, participatory research, participatory workshops, and citizen forums and assemblies. The review highlighted factors that influence the operation and perceived success of citizen participation initiatives. Findings underscore the importance of creating citizen participation mechanisms that are inclusive, transparent, and adaptable. Proper organization and facilitation by a dedicated local organization ensure the success of citizen engagement initiatives. The identified categories and factors can guide policymakers in designing effective local food system initiatives that enhance meaningful citizen involvement.

How can a community be successfully empowered to deal with death, dying, and bereavement?-formative evaluation of the Caring Community Cologne using focus groups.

Compassionate communities aim to empower people to deal with death, dying, and bereavement. They also intend to facilitate access to care and support at the end of life. However, there is a need for systematic knowledge on how to achieve the desired outcomes for citizens and for insights regarding the development, implementation, and evaluation. The aim of this study was to assess the views of members of a German Compassionate City, the "Caring Community Cologne" (CCC), and to report on its practical implementation. The CCC consists of a citywide Round Table, a Steering Group, a Coordination Office and four Working Groups in areas where activities are already in place. We conducted two qualitative focus groups with nine members of three Working Groups. The transcripts were analysed with qualitative content analysis, using MAXQDA version 2022, and results were transferred into the logic model "Throughput Model". At the time of evaluation, participants felt that the structures of the CCC were adequate, but criticised the cooperation and transparency between them. A key aspect of this was the requirement for a coordinating body. They stressed the support of federal institutions as a key factor, while at the same time describing insufficient citizen involvement. The transfer of the results into the Throughput Model highlighted four areas that the CCC should address: (I) neighbourhood networks need to be established to strengthen civic support; (II) people need to be made aware of the issues by making them accessible in their everyday lives; (III) the many existing support initiatives need to be better linked and made more accessible; (IV) adequate healthcare service structures have to be guaranteed. The top-down approach described, supported by the city's engagement and involving existing initiatives can facilitate the development of a bottom-up civic engagement model in a large city. However, active citizen involvement appeared to be a challenge. The Throughput Model was a suitable basis for mapping work processes and developing evaluation plans.

Transactional Leadership Style and the Effectiveness of Public Participation in the County Governance in Kenya

An effective system of governing is crucial for advancing both social and economic development, with a focus on promoting openness, accountability, and active involvement of the people. Public participation entails the active involvement of citizens in the process of governance, promoting openness, responsibility, and fair provision of public services. This method facilitates well-informed decision-making and improves governance by ensuring that policies align with the requirements and priorities of the community. To enhance efficacy, numerous governments have transitioned from centralization to decentralization, thereby enabling local governments to include citizens more directly in the process of decision-making. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 incorporated decentralization and public involvement as integral components to enhance governance in Kenya. Nevertheless, despite extant literature suggesting that leadership affects participation, the extent to which various leadership styles impact the effectiveness of public engagement has not been well investigated. This study examines the influence of transactional leadership style on the effectiveness of public participation in the county governance in Kenyan. The components of transactional leadership styles consisted of contingent reward, contingent punishment, Management-by-Exception-active, and Management-by-Exception-passive. The study adopted a positivist philosophy, using scientific methods to explore social phenomena, focusing on objectivity and empirical verification. The research used a quantitative survey design, with questionnaires for data collection. The analysis involved devolved county governments, targeting residents from eight counties, who had engaged in public forums. A sample of 400 respondents was obtained through both probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling methods. The results of the regression analysis indicated that there was a positive relationship between transactional leadership and the effectiveness of public participation. The implementation of active management-by-exception and contingent incentive resulted in a notable increase in public engagement, with active management-by-exception having the most prominent influence. The effects of contingent punishment and passive Management-by-Exception were positive, although they failed to achieve statistical significance. The study recommends county authorities to prioritize active management-by-exception and use reward schemes to enhance public participation. Additionally, it suggested implementation of training programs aimed at transforming executives from passive to proactive management approaches. In addition, proposals were made for policies that support leadership training and civic education to promote public participation. This study enhances the existing theory by empirically demonstrating the relationship between transactional leadership style and the effectiveness of public participation. It also offers a foundation for future research in this area. Subsequent investigations should examine additional variables that impact the efficacy of public participation in county governance, considering cultural and contextual variations.

Controlling the water: citizens’ place–related adaptation to landslides in mid-Norway

In light of an increasing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as landslides, climate adaptation is increasingly on the agenda of Norwegian municipalities. Nevertheless, municipalities face constraints in addressing these challenges, with smaller, remote municipalities being particularly susceptible. They often cover expansive geographical areas with high landslide risk, yet have limited financial resources, expertise, and personnel for climate adaptation. Consequently, the active involvement of citizens in adaptation plays an important role in these remote places. This paper investigates how citizens of three small remote communities deal with landslides, emphasizing the role of people–place relations in shaping adaptive practices. Grounded in assemblage theory, our analysis reveals that most citizens maintained a pragmatic relation to landslides, while only a few expressed concern. Regardless of the degree of concern, all citizens constructed landslides as integral element within their socio-material place assemblages, as part of their lives in the respective places. Furthermore, citizens developed various adaptive practices, including nature observation, reporting to authorities, and implementing practical preventive measures to control water that could trigger landslides. These practices are manifestations of socio-material assemblages that have evolved through citizens’ relations to their specific places. Importantly, irrespective of the level of concern regarding landslides, these practices were carried out as part of everyday life. Through these practices, enabled by experience-based, embodied, and often tacit local knowledge, citizens acted as community guardians. Thus, comprehensive people–place relations emerge as a pivotal factor for a community’s adaptative capacity in the face of climate change-induced hazards.

The use of modern information technologies in combating crimes against the environment

The scientific publication is dedicated to researching the possibilities of modern information technologies in combating environmental crime. In particular, individual organizational and technical problems in the context of this topic were analyzed, the best foreign practices of using innovations in the field of environmental protection were outlined, directions for the development and adaptation of information technologies in the detection and investigation of criminal offenses were determined, taking into account the specifics of Ukrainian legislation and the practice of its application, to ensure sustainable and harmonious development of the country's ecological security. Analysis of the experience of countries such as the USA, Canada, Germany, and Great Britain has proven the impact of the latest technologies on the effectiveness of detecting and countering criminal offenses against the environment. It was concluded that modern technologies, including geo-information systems, electronic accounting systems, mobile applications for the public, automated emissions tracking systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and other innovative solutions are able to ensure the transparency of enterprises' activities and the active involvement of citizens in the control process, will allow prompt response to violations , to significantly increase the effectiveness of the actions of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, in particular, in collecting evidence of illegal activities in the field of the environment. It was emphasized that taking into account the current environmental challenges in our country and the requirements for increasing the efficiency of law enforcement activities, the introduction and improvement of relevant innovative technologies in the field of environmental protection is urgent and expedient. This will not only improve the effectiveness of combating criminal offenses against the environment, but will also stimulate the appropriate attitude of business to environmental standards, while strengthening the public's trust in the actions of power structures.

Involving Older People in Co-creation of Social Health Promoting Activities in a Senior Village

Abstract Background Since 2018 the municipality of Esbjerg has been engaged in the WHO global network for age-friendly cities in which they are obligated to have age-friendly visons and strategies. With an establishment of a senior village with shared facilities, the municipality offers its older citizens an environment with opportunities to co-create social activities. Experiences of co-creation initiatives with older people are sparse and it is thus important to explore the benefits and drawbacks of this initiative. Objectives To co-create social activities with older people in senior village with shared facilities to develop a sustainable solution to the welfare challenge of a rising number of older people and a lack of staff to keep up the level of service for securing health and well-being in old age. Methods The co-creation initiative consisted of an initial information meeting inviting older people interested to participate in social activities followed by a series of workshops framing activity groups with concrete ideas for activities. Employees from the municipality facilitated the workshops and attended all activity groups during implementation. Results 150 older people attended the information meeting and the following workshops generating 12 activity groups, each managed by one or two older people. However, interviews with older people involved in the co-creation process suggested barriers for co-creation at both individual and organizational level: Personal resources for organizing and managing social activities among older people were less than expected due to high average age of participants, while the level of information from the municipality on the intention, aim and anticipations on active involvement of citizens was scanty. Conclusions Informing older people about the intentions and aim of a co-creation process and aligning expectations between stakeholder is essential early in the process to guide the optimal utilization of personal and organizational resources.

Embedding circularity: Theorizing the social economy, its potential, and its challenges

The dominant conception of the circular economy presents it as a politically neutral, technology-driven process of efficiency improvements and green market expansion. However, it does not consider the social embedding of circularity and thereby risks undermining the transition out of de facto linear economies. This paper begins with a critique of the dominant conception of the circular economy and its shortcomings in relation to allocation, justice, and sustainable scale. Second, the paper contributes toward theorizing an alternative, social economy-based embedding of circularity. We theorize how the social economy embeds circularity through: (1) business models reflecting the needs and interests of their stakeholders and, with them, a primacy of social value creation; (2) production and consumption based on active citizen involvement in deliberation and decision-making; (3) an approach to technology that seeks to empower technology users; and (4) the promotion of regional economies and circular value chains based on a sense of place. Our theory propositions are inspired by prior empirical research at the intersection of the circular economy and the social economy. We discuss the potential and the challenges of a social economy embedding of circularity against the background of vested interests and incumbents profiting from low circularity and unsustainability.

Citizen Charter As An Innovation In Publik Service Management

Tracing the problems of public services in Indonesia can actually be seen in several periods of governance, for example starting during the New Order era and finally the reform period. The citizen charter service contract is one of the innovations in public service management towards responsive service delivery and in accordance with the needs of the community. In the citizen charter service contract requires active involvement of citizens, also empowering citizens through the introduction of rights and obligations between users and service providers which will raise citizen awareness to control the implementation of public services. citizens also have the right to participate in the delivery of services and citizens must also be empowered so that they have a bargaining position when dealing directly with the service provider bureaucracy. The implementation of the citizen charter service itself consists of five principles, namely service vision and mission, service standards, service flow, community complaint unit, service user survey

Futures in the present: Unraveling foreclosing and pre-opening desired futures in the local environment with a Bourdieusian perspective

Citizens are considered to play an increasingly active role in dealing with sustainability challenges, such as biodiversity loss. The active involvement of citizens is a new policy practice in the Netherlands, institutionalized in a so-called neighborhood approach. To understand why some citizens take up this role, while others face difficulties, the anticipation of futures is increasingly gaining attention in literature on sustainable transformations. Although these processes of anticipation are non-linear, literature shows that insights of Bourdieu have the potential to better understand such processes. Therefore, applying a narrative approach with walking interviews, this study innovatively combines insights from future studies (making of futures and using of futures) and the terminology as provided by Bourdieu (field, habitus and capital). The research shows two ways of how extrapolating futures lead to foreclosing a desired futures: one enacted in the habitus and one enacted in the field. The research also shows that in the process of pre-opening of futures, dynamic relations between different forms of capital are essential and that these relations are influenced by anticipation of futures: citizens whose extrapolated and desired future are aligned, whether in the field or enacted in the habitus seem to be more inclined to pre-open futures.

Primena IT u javnom sektoru od strane lokalnih vlasti - koristi i izazovi

State and local governments in e-tools have important instruments of quality management and the creation and implementation of sectoral policies. Smart city projects provide excellent services to citizens, increase the transparency and accountability of authorities, as well as citizens' satisfaction with services. Participative edecision-making is useful because citizens are indispensable for expressing their needs, assessing the quality of services, and setting requests and initiatives (co-production). On the other hand, it is also important to include public servants who ensure that decisions are optimally shaped and that services are tailored according to the needs of specific people (personalization of services) and the community. Serbia has a systemic problem of centralization, a top-down approach to management, weak participation of citizens and weak involvement of experts in the work of e-government. Good practice indicates that e-government cannot function without the active involvement of citizens, so our system needs to be changed and improved. These changes would also modernize management, decision making and policy making (evidence based decision and policy making). The consequence would be the creation of services according to the needs of citizens, which increases citizens' satisfaction with the quality of services. In addition, these processes strengthen the socialization of citizens, strengthen democratic capacities of communities, and raise the motivation of employees to contribute to the quality of work (strengthening of professionalization, motivation and dignity of public servants).

Політичні партії як інститути громадянського суспільства в Україні

Background. Civil society institutions play a crucial role in the state-building processes of independent Ukraine. Given this, the question of researching the peculiarities of civil society institutionalization in Ukraine is relevant. Ukrainian historiography lacks a unified interpretation of issues related to the formation and structural elements of civil society. This article explores various perspectives on the structuring of civil society institutions. The novelty of the research lies in synthesizing approaches to defining the term 'civil society' and its core institutions.The relevance of the study is driven by the need for theoretical understanding of the formation and functioning of civil society institutions in Ukraine, as they represent the interests and needs of Ukrainian citizens. The aim of the article is to analyze the affiliation of political parties with civil society institutions. Methods. Comparative research was carried out in the article, historical-comparative, historical-typological, historical-systemic methods and analysis were applied. Different views of researchers on political parties belonging to civil society institutions are analyzed. The normative legal documents of the period of restoration and development of the Ukrainian independent state, constitutional projects, works of modern researchers were worked out, which consider the issues of institutionalization of civil society in Ukraine. Results. Having worked out regulatory and legal documents, constitutional projects, works of researchers on this topic proved that political parties are one of the key institutions of civil society in Ukraine. The most important criterion for the justification of belonging to the institutions of civil society is the active involvement of citizens in solving political problems when they actively participate in the development of state policy aimed at solving problems that are relevant to society, through the involvement of specialists, the creation of analytical centers, the study of public opinion and holding public hearings. Conclusions. An important role in the functioning of the state and the life of society is played by political parties, which are one of the institutions of civil society in Ukraine, which represent and protect the interests of citizens in the political arena, attract broad segments of the population to discuss pressing problems.

Demokrasi Sebagai Diskursus dan Deliberasi Menurut Jűrgen Habermas

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> This article attempts to reconstruct and analyse the Habermas’ view on democracy as discourse and deliberation. The concept of deliberative and discursive democracy is a model of criticism toward an attempt to narrow the conception about democracy simply as an institutional matter. The concept of deliberative democracy emphasizes the importance of public discursive participation of citizens by establishing critical public sphere that is the heart of democracy. Furthermore, Habermas highlights that there is no rule of law without radical democracy. Such radical democracy is expressed through the active involvement of citizens in public sphere to express ideas that have impact on political decisions and public policy. This article accentuates that the transformation of public opinion to be a political power is an ongoing process. Therefore, an authentic democracy presupposes a critical publicity and democratic political culture. Without a voluntary citizens’ initiative in this regard, a state will have no future. To support thisarguments, the writer uses literature research method by analyzing the main work of Jȕrgen Habermas on deliberative democracy namely Faktizitӓt und Geltung (Facts and Norms), as well as some secondary literatures dealing with the thoughts of Habermas on democracy.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Habermas, deliberative democracy, discourse, pluralism, state</p>

PROACTIVE BUDGETING TECHNOLOGIES AS A TOOL REGULATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY

Modern Russian society is in a state where processes of active involvement of citizens and organizations in the budget process, in complicity in solving the most important socio-economic problems of the territories, in increasing the level of interaction of the population with the authorities, and the level of mutual trust are needed. The mechanism of such a private-public partnership in this area in the form of initiative budgeting has been determined. The elements of this mechanism are disclosed, the presence of which indicates that the technologies of initiative budgeting have developed. The importance of developing such technologies in the youth environment, in rural areas was emphasized. The legal framework for the development of the private-public partnership mechanism was analyzed. The dynamics of initiative budgeting indicators from 2015 to 2020 in Russia was considered. The main sources of financing for initiative budgeting projects have been identified. Practice classification was carried out, the results of initiative budgeting were assessed. The dynamics of the implementation of projects for young people on the example of events for 2022 is especially considered in detail. The results of the number of developed projects in the context of municipalities of the Udmurt Republic, as well as within the framework of two practices: "Our Initiative" and "Atmosphere," were summed up. In order to counter the increase in the number of unrealized applications, the forecast for an increase in project financing from budgets for 2023 is justified. Disclosed promising directions for the development of initiative budgeting in the region.

Use of "Lean" Technologies in the Medical Examination of the Adult Population in the Ryazan Region

INTRODUCTION: The medical examination of the adult population is an important mechanism to preserve the labor potential of the country through the early detection of diseases and prevention of premature mortality. The active involvement of citizens in preventive measures and an increase in the availability of medical examinations are vectors in increasing the coverage of the population. One of the mechanisms for increasing availability is the use of "lean" technologies, which was realized in the Ryazan region as part of the project "Optimization of the Medical Examination Process".
 AIM: To evaluate the optimization of the medical examination of the adult population in the Ryazan region through the use of "lean" technologies.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The project was implemented based on a multidisciplinary clinical hospital with high planned tasks for the coverage of the adult population indicated for medical examination. In the implementation of the project, problems in the organization of the medical examination of the adult population were identified, maps of the current state and the target state were compiled, solutions to each identified problem were proposed, and a 4-month schedule of measures was made.
 RESULTS: The evaluation of the effectiveness of the project "Optimization of the Medical Examination Process" using "lean" technologies reduced the patient stay in the clinic by 1.7 times in the first stage of the medical examination and reduced the duration of this stage from 5 to 1.5 days. In the second stage, the total patient stay in the clinic was reduced two times, and the duration of this stage was reduced from 8 to 2 days. The throughput capacity of the pre-medical reception room of the medical prevention department increased from 48 to 100 people per day with a two-shift working schedule, which permitted fulfilling the planned annual tasks for medical examination by 100.0%.
 CONCLUSION: The successful experience of the introduction of the "lean" production principles in the medical examination of the adult population demonstrated increased effectiveness and availability of preventive measures for the population in the region.

Classification of network social movements in the cities of Southwestern Siberia regions

The article presents the results of the study of urban Internet communities of a causal nature in the regions of Southwestern Siberia. Communities are analysed by variables: the degree of their development, the number of participants, the goals and objectives set, the forms of activity used. These communities were identified in social networks and messengers such as VKontakte, Facebook, Twitter, Odnoklassniki, Instagram, Telegram, as well as among YouTube channels and specialized sites. The informatisation of modern society provides citizens with more and more opportunities to participate in public life and establish horizontal communications. This is combined with the processes of raising the level of civic consciousness and the search for "workarounds" for participation in public politics. Both of these tendencies lead to more and more active involvement of citizens in the processes of self-organisation and participation in various associations. This leads to an increase in the number of urban problematic (causal) communities and in the number of their participants, the creation of new projects, and the massisation of their actions. There can be distinguished two main vectors for the development of such urban communities: urban protection and environmental. The first direction deals with the issues of arranging the living environment of citizens and creating "places of application" of causal civil activity, with problems of combining commercial, social, historical and cultural principles in the development of cities. The second one deals with the issues of protecting the natural environment, improving the living conditions of citizens, changing the consciousness and behaviour of people towards those more environmentally friendly. The set of methods used by all these communities is very wide: information campaigns in media and the Internet, filing petitions and appeals, organising of practical activities in the direction of their work, educating citizens, holding pickets and other public events, establishing contacts between civil society and government. It should be noted that there is no strict distinction between the communities of the two main problem areas, since the tasks they strive to solve (for example, the preservation of green areas in cities, the fight against landfills, etc.), as well as the composition of the participants, partially coincide.

The (Non) impact of the Spanish “Tax on the Sun” on photovoltaics prosumers uptake

There is increasing scientific evidence of anthropic climate change. The need to shift to more sustainable energy systems is therefore compelling. Individuals are becoming key actors in the energy transition, as producers and sellers of the renewable energy they produce on-site. However, the practice of self-consumption requires to be underpinned by adequate policy mechanisms. Under this perspective, the Spanish Royal Decree (RD) 900/2015, also so-called “Tax on the Sun”, aiming at regulating energy self-consumption and enhancing the engagement of Spanish citizens in the energy transition as prosumers, by the installation of photovoltaics, represents a challenging case study. There is anecdotal evidence that instead of supporting the diffusion of electricity self-consumption, the “Tax on the Sun” has had the opposite effect. Thus, this work aims at testing this proposition by using the synthetic control methodology (SCM), which permits to evaluate the effect of a treatment in absence of a suitable control group, as in this case. This study finds that indeed at the regional level the “Tax on the Sun” has had a negative impact, if any at all. The current barriers to prosumerism, and more broadly to the active involvement of citizens in the energy transition, are still many and policy-makers should address these shortcomings if they want to fully employ the potential that prosumerism has to offer to a just energy transition.

Science and Citizen Collaboration as Good Example of Geoethics for Recovering a Natural Site in the Urban Area of Rome (Italy)

Natural sites in urban spaces can have a key role in citizen well-being, providing fundamental ecosystem services to the population and assuring a multitude of benefits. Therefore, cities should guarantee a number of green areas and their conservation in time as an essential part of urban architecture. In this framework, cooperation between scientists, decision makers and citizens is critical to ensure the enhancement of green public spaces. Social and scientific communities are called to work in a tuned way to combine scientific knowledge and methods to local socio-economic contexts, driven by the values of geoethics. The Bullicante Lake case study, discussed in this work, represents an example of application of geoethical values, such as inclusiveness, sharing, sustainability and conservation of bio- and geodiversity. This urban lake in Rome appeared following illegal excavation works in 1992 and remained closed until 2016 favouring re-naturalization processes. Over time, this site was often threatened by pending actions for building. The aim of this study was to highlight how fruitful cooperation between science and citizens is able to transform a degraded urban area into a place of knowledge, recreation, enjoyment and eco-systemic preservation. Moreover, on the basis of this experience, the authors proposed a generalised approach/strategy to be developed and applied in other contexts. The active involvement of citizens and the cooperation among scientists, artists and institutions were able to redress opportunistic behaviours well by preventing site degradation and its improper use, favouring environmental safeguarding and making possible the site’s recognition as a natural monument. The results of these actions led to the improved quality of citizen life, showing an excellent example of virtuous cooperation between science and society.