Promoting citizen-based river groups at sub-basin scale for multi-level river governance in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region
Author
Garcia, Xavier
Pavón, David
Publication date
2021ISSN
1354-9839
Abstract
There is a gap between the increasing social use of urban rivers and limited citizen participation in river management under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). A pilot participatory process aimed at promoting the active involvement of the general public in the management of an urban stream in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region was designed and tested. The participatory process was supported by web-based Public Participation Geographic Information Systems and face-to-face workshops. The opinions of the general public were collected and citizen decision-making and self-organisation were promoted. Assessment of the pilot results provided key learning points supporting the creation of citizen-based river groups: (1) setting participation in the framework of a socio-ecological understanding of the river; (2) involving local volunteers in the leadership and dissemination of participatory processes; (3) supporting participants’ learning and networking; and (4) connecting municipal-scale and basin-scale environmental interests and institutions through intermediate citizen platforms at sub-basin scale. These learning points offer a baseline for building a theory on the design of bottom-up participatory processes aimed at empowering riparian communities. Citizen-based river group formation policies may support the transition towards more multi-level European river governance.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
72 - Architecture
Keywords
Grups fluvials de base ciutadana
Gestió col·laborativa del riu
Processos participatius de la DMA
Participació de baix a dalt
Govern fluvial multinivell
Grupos fluviales de base ciudadana
Gestión colaborativa de los ríos
Procesos participativos de la DMA
Participación desde abajo
Gobernanza fluvial multinivel
Citizen-based river groups
Collaborative river management
WFD participatory processes
Bottom-up participation
Multi-level river governance
Pages
16
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Collection
26;2
Is part of
Local Environment
Citation
Vall-Casas, Pere; Benages-Albert, Marta; Garcia, Xavier [et al]. Promoting citizen-based river groups at sub-basin scale for multi-level river governance in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region. Local Environment, 2021, 26(2), p. 181-197. Disponible en: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13549839.2021.1874320>. Fecha de acceso: 24 abr. 2024. DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2021.1874320
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Arquitectura [35]
Rights
© Taylor & Francis