D1: Public participation
The “Mitte Altona” project has been planned as part of the process to date with the active involvement of local residents – yet opinions differ as to the quality of the process. Whilst the administration – or, more precisely, the Department for Urban Development and the Environment (since 2015, the Department for Urban Development and Housing) – as the initiator, has repeatedly emphasised that it has taken on board numerous ideas and suggestions from residents, citizens’ initiatives and networks criticise the fact that they were not consulted in any meaningful way. Instead of being able to have a say, they claim they were merely kept informed – there is talk of ‘sham participation’.
Taking the actual process in ‘Mitte Altona’ as its starting point, this lesson unit explores questions regarding forms of participation and examines the expectations and limitations of public participation from various perspectives. Following a general introduction to the various facets of citizen participation, the lesson explores the different expectations placed on such a process, as well as questions regarding how the various stakeholders are taken into account within the process. Finally, the pupils design their own participation process – with particular emphasis on the participation of children and young people.
