How do agencies undertake citizen engagement?

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The previous article of this series explored the spaces that are made available for citizen engagement in mobility projects in India and what types of mobility projects typically see citizen engagement. This article looks at how do various agencies engage in citizen engagement. We conducted a rapid assessment of 10 mobility projects in India that included public participation as a major component.

Both public and private agencies in India have been engaging with citizens to improve various aspects of mobility at the local level. It would be interesting to see how these pilot projects are scaled across cities and how the inter-agency dynamics develop over time as multiple stakeholders step into the field of decision making. While many examples of citizen engagement are concentrated in cities like Bengaluru and Pune, national programmes have undeniably provided a thrust to this practice in tier 2 cities.

These examples have also shown that citizen engagement is not a one time process. Citizen engagement is enabled through networks and relationships that build an active citizenship in the long term. To fully utilize the benefits of the process, it is important that agencies in small and medium cities develop an environment of dialogue and participation. Three main insights emerged from the rapid assessment of mobility projects with citizen engagement component.

  • Public agencies collaborate with community based agencies to enable citizen engagement

  • Public participation not only involves dialogue between local stakeholders and agencies but also among various agencies themselves

  • Citizen engagement is essential to gain traction for sustainable practices

Public agencies collaborate with community based agencies to enable citizen engagement.

Typically Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) work towards improving access to resources based on needs at the grassroot level. They also act as bridges between citizens and government programs. The component of citizen engagement in public projects by the government is often steered by engaging CSOs. This helps because the government is able to reach the grassroot level using existing long term trust-based networks created by CSOs.

For instance, the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) within Smart Cities has sustainable mobility as one of its major themes and mandates public participation in its projects. Government agencies are collaborating with local NGOs, private sector, RWAs etc. The choice of agency involved often depends on how the program has been contextualized by the city. In cities like Visakhapatnam and Amritsar where public mobilization and awareness is a main component, roles have been delegated to CSOs.

Similarly, through the Streets4People Challenge and India Cycles4Change cities created temporary solutions to make streets more friendly for cycling and pedestrians. The two programs were piloted in over 38 cities, receiving feedback from over 60000 residents and over 600 CSOs extended their support to cities and 1800 design professionals and students came together to test solutions and reclaim the streets for the people.

Public participation not only involves dialogue between local stakeholders and agencies but also among various agencies themselves.

A city is managed by more than one stakeholder, therefore undertaking citizen engagement comes with inter-agency dialogues. Smart City Corporations have collaborated with corresponding municipal corporations, transportation parastatals, think tanks and local CSOs. At the same time, they are overlooked by the national ministry nodes such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). 

CSOs have also themselves formed coalitions and collaborated to amplify a call for change and enable citizen engagement. Sustainable Urban Mobility Network (SUMNet) is a coalition of CSOs and individuals that aims to promote democratic processes in decision making in urban transportation systems.They collaborated with Dr. BN College of Architecture for Women and Curtin University and involved subject experts and students who engaged with different user groups of residents and businesses. Community feedback was incorporated in design proposals and submitted to municipal authorities for consideration. The project stressed on continuous engagement among partner organizations to ensure that community inputs are incorporated during the implementation process

On similar lines, the program Sustainable Mobility Accords (SuMA) was conceptualized in 2020 (also known as Cycle Day 2.0) to be implemented by the Karnataka Non-motorised Transport Agency (KNMTA). It plans to continue active engagement with local communities with the help of citizen organizations by providing them with financial support. Registered RWAs and CSOs can apply for a SuMA grant for implementation of sustainable mobility at the neighbourhood level.

Citizen engagement is essential to gain traction for sustainable practices

Citizen engagement is a critical component of initiatives that seek to change prevailing mindsets that roads are primarily provided for cars. Many initiatives that advocate use of sustainable practices like cycling are founded on the principles of encouraging public participation.

Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) of Government of Karnataka, began engaging with communities in 2013 through Cycle Day initiatives in Bengaluru to promote sustainable modes of transport. A Cycle Day is an event in which motor traffic is restricted in a few kilometers of roads to create a safe, festive zone for citizens to cycle, engage in fitness activities and participate in community building activities. Similarly, the India Cycles for Change in over 40 Smart cities across the country thoroughly worked with citizens to become more cycle-friendly.

Apart from generating awareness, citizen engagement is also used in the planning process to evaluate feasibility of mobility projects. The ‘Handlebar Survey’, launched in 2021 was a week-long expedition in Bengaluru in which cyclists of various age groups and gender assessed 58 kms of roads in the Doddanekundi Ward to provide feedback on creating a cycle-friendly network. 

Citizen engagement is critical in building long term mutual support and loyalty with user groups. This is an important factor that is useful for both government and private agencies that are determined to improve urban mobility. Citizen engagement has been used to build communities of environmentally and socially conscious citizens, for example, Yulu, a private company that facilitates the use of e-bikes as public transport carried out participatory events like sustainability workshops, activities to gain user insights and build customer loyalty in the long run. 

The gains from citizen engagement in urban mobility and governance are not limited to one type of stakeholder but to the system as a whole. Citizens themselves are at the receiving end of benefits of this process even though the process may require us to commit to some time and energy to engage with our governments.




Thumbnail Image: ITDP Website