On 28 June 2022, the Knowledge Platform Leefbaar en Kansrijk Groningen organized a Knowledge Café concerning the theme of resident participation. Commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, we have mapped out how resident participation can be taken to a higher level in the reinforcement task and the future prospects of Groningen. We brought this theme and our findings to your attention during the Knowledge Café. 

 

The Knowledge Café began with an introduction from the Knowledge Platform and an explanation of our research findings. During a Q&A session, Fred Mahler explained his experience with participation in the villages Steendam and Tjuchem. He will talk about the initiatives Dorp in Eigen Hand (Village in own hands) and Van Onderen (From below) in which reinforcement plays a major role. What goes well here, what are the problems in these villages and how can other villages learn from this?

 

After the Q&A session, a panel discussion followed including a number of professionals active in the field. Led by Jelte Posthumus resident participation was examined from various perspectives: from the viewpoint of the reinforcement and democracy in Groningen. As a program manager at the Province of Groningen, Liesbeth van de Wetering is committed to a strong local democracy. As advisor Area-oriented Working at the Municipality of Eemsdelta, Sarah Spinder advises the municipality on the ways in which municipal employees can collaborate better with residents, entrepreneurs and other partners. Consultant at KAW Architects Marcel Tankink was involved in their research into residents' experience in the reinforcement, which plays an important role in the development of the Dorpenaanpak (Village Approach). A researcher from the Knowledge Platform, closely involved in the report Perspective of residents in reinforcement, has knowledge about resident participation in reinforcement processes: how are residents already involved and how could this be improved?

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