The Łódź Citzens’ Assembly “Greenery in the City”
The Łódź Citzens’ Assembly is a form of deliberative democracy. It is a way of making important decisions for the city by a randomly selected group of inhabitants and residents, whose role is to resolve a given matter taking into account the common good of all citizens of Łódź. This group is to reflect the general population of the city.
67 panelists provided us with answers on the following issues:
- Shaping greenery in the city of Łódź
- Common actions of the City and residents to improve the greenery in the city
- Counteracting the effects of drought by the City
In the first stage, all concerned persons over 15 years of age reported their willingness to take part in the Panel during the recruitment process.
In the next stage, demographic criteria such as place of residence (district), gender, age and level of education were taken into account in the draw. Additionally, 6 panelists and reserve panelists were drawn.
The panelists and panelists met between March and July 2020. The meetings were divided into two parts: educational and deliberative (discussion).
In the educational part experts in the fields related to the topic of the panel informed the participants and panelists about the already existing solutions within the framework of particular thematic threads of the panel. These included such threads as shaping greenery in the city, what the cooperation between the city and its inhabitants for the benefit of greenery should be, or how to counteract the effects of drought, in order to provide maximum knowledge necessary for the panel to make optimal decisions. Representatives of stakeholders, i.e. organizations and informal groups implementing their activities within the scope of the panel topics also delivered their speeches. The educational meetings were broadcasted live.
In the deliberative (discussion) part participants debated solutions under the guidance of neutral facilitators (moderators). The aim of these meetings was to prepare recommendations for the city authorities concerning the topic discussed by the panelists.
The recommendations supported by 80% of the panelists were presented to the Mayor of Łódź for implementation. Female and male residents received a remuneration of PLN 500 gross for their participation in the panel.
The preparation of the The Łódź Citzens’ Assembly “Greenery in the City” is the responsibility of the Bureau for Social Participation of the City of Łódź. We cooperate with all units of the City of Łódź Office, which deal with the main topic of the panel, municipal councillors as well as the scientific and social side. We have opted for interdisciplinary group work, which allows us to discuss issues related to the preparation of the Panel from different perspectives.
The following parties were involved in the preparation of the Citzens’ Assembly in Łódź:
- The Team for The Łódź Citzens’ Assembly “Greenery in the City”
- Coordination Commitee for The Łódź Citzens’ Assembly “Greenery in the City”
The panel itself is the responsibility of the Institute of Public Policies Foundation, the so-called “operator”, which was selected through an open tender.
The initiative to organize a Citzens’ Assembly in Łódź was taken by, among others, participants of the School of Leaders of the City of Łódź, Zgierz and Pabianice, which was organized in 2018 by the School of Leaders Foundation in cooperation with the Veolia Polska Foundation.
Tasks of the Team
- Development of detailed outlines of the Panel, i.e. development of thematic threads submitted to the Panel’s deliberations
- Cooperation with the Operator, i.e. supervision over the correct performance of the task entrusted to the Operator
- Verification of the recommendations that will be voted on by the panelists, i.e. checking whether the recommendations are consistent with the law and with the plans, strategies, policies and programmes adopted by the City of Łódź
- Preparing a report on the course of the Panel and presenting it to the Committee, i.e. checking whether the report prepared by the Panel operator has been performed reliably and objectively
Tasks of the Commitee
- Monitoring of activities carried out in the preparation and implementation of the Panel
- Presenting the report from the Panel to the Mayor of Łódź with recommendations
- Coordination of the implementation of the recommendations adopted by the Mayor of Łódź
Panel schedule
December 2019 – Selection of a non-governmental organisation to run the Panel
December 2019 – January 2020 – Recruitment of panelists
January 2020 – Open public consultation
February 2020 – Drawing panelists, recruitment of experts, recruitment of stakeholders
March – July 2020 – Meetings of the Panel, keeping the residents informed by the panelists on an ongoing basis
July 2020 – Presentation of the Panel results
July/August 2020 – Presentation of the Panel recommendations to the Mayor of Łódź for implementation
The end of 2020 – EvaluationThe Bureau for the Social Participation of the City of Łódź Office shall have the right to modify the schedule.
Panel meeting programme
The Citzens’ Assembly “Greenery in the City” meetings took place from March to autumn 2020.
The first meeting was organized on Saturday and lasted about 7 hours including a lunch break. The meetings took place in the Grand Meeting Hall of the City of Łódź Office at 104 Piotrkowska Street.
In the light of the epidemiological situation, further educational and deliberative meetings were organized on-line.
Educational meetings
• 7 March 2020
• 6-7 June 2020
• 20-21 June 2020
Deliberation (discussion) meetings
• 4-5 July 2020
• 18-19 July 2020
Information and promotion of the Panel
Environmentally friendly panel
When preparing the Citzens’ Assembly, we make sure that it is organized in such a way that it has the least possible negative impact on the environment according to the principle: we start with ourselves! To this end, we implemented the following solutions:
1. Participants received the materials in an electronic version
2. Printing of materials for the preparation of the Panel was kept to a minimum
3. Participants did not receive any promotional materials or gadgets
Organizational issues
1. We focused on electronic communication throughout the duration of the event.
2. We used teleconferences to meet with people from other cities during the preparation of the Panel
3. The footers of the emails on the Panel contained information promoting protection of environment
4. We promoted the registration of participation in the Panel using an electronic registration form.
5. Some of the meetings of the Panel were organized on-line
Food and drink
1. We provided vegan food
2. All dishes and cutlery were reusable
3. Participants received tap water for drinking
4. We encouraged the participants to bring their food boxes to take the food remaining after an event.
Transport
1. The meetings were held in places easily accessible by public transport
2. Participants were encouraged to reach the meetings on foot, by public transport or bicycle. This did not apply to people with disabilities whose state of health requires special transport needs.
Waste
1. Waste sorting bins were placed in the building
2. Packaging was kept to a minimum
Facilities for people with special needs
For people with reduced mobility
The meetings were held in a building partially accessible for people with reduced mobility. A ramp leads to the building. The door to the building opens automatically. Inside the building there is a possibility to use a lift from the main hall to the hall in front of the Grand Meeting Hall of the City of Łódź Office. There is no toilet for people with disabilities.
For people with children
Facilities were provided in the Large Meeting Room:
• changing table and accessories (diapers sizes 1-6, wet wipes)
• feeding chair with screen
• kids’ corner
In the toilets on the first floor there were toilet seat covers for children.
Persons qualified to participate in the Panel were able to benefit from free organized childcare. We provided professional care for children from 3 years of age. Parents with younger children were invited to participate in the panel meetings with their children.
For people with special dietary needs
Meals during the meetings of the Panel were tailored to the special needs of the participants, i.e. including food allergies or special diets.
Other amenities
• The expert speeches were broadcasted live with a sign language translation. After the broadcast, the films were accompanied by subtitles in Polish.
• Persons qualified to participate in the Panel were able to use a sign language interpreter. A hearing loop was available upon request.
CONTACT
PANEL ORGANIZER
Bureau for the Social Participation
The City Łódź Office
115 Piotrkowska Street
90-430 Łódź
phone: +48 (42) 638-46-00 (secretariat)
e-mail: sekretariat.bps@uml.lodz.pl
Do you have questions? Contact us:
• Agata Burlińska – a.burlinska@uml.lodz.pl – phone +48 (42) 638-40-93
• Olga Zuchora – o.zuchora@uml.lodz.pl – phone +48 (42) 638-40-93
Working hours:
– Monday, Wednesday – Friday from 8 am to 4 pm
–Tuesday 9 am to 5 pm
The office is located on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor of the building and is not accessible for people with disabilities and people with reduced mobility (no lift). The building is not equipped with toilets accessible for people with disabilities and does not have a changing table or a place to feed a child.
We are keen to enable you to contact us directly, so we are open for meetings in the building of the City Of Łódź Office at 104 Piotrkowska Street in a place that is accessible to people with reduced mobility. If you are interested, please contact us.
Institute of Public Policies
+48 793 762 000
ipp.expert@ipp.expert
ipp.expert
LIAISON WITH THE MEDIA
Office of the Spokesperson of the Mayor of Łódź
Alexandra Hac
phone: +48 (42) 638-54-27
e-mail: a.hac@uml.lodz.pl
Agnieszka Rutkowska
phone: +48 (42) 272-62-60
e-mail: a.rutkowska@uml.lodz.pl
The Citizen’s Assembly operator is the Institute of Public Policies.
The Łódź Citzens’ Assembly “Greenery in the City”in Łódź is implemented thanks to funding from the city of Łódź’s budget.
