Public Involvement and Sustainable Food Initiatives in Copenhagen
Oversat titel
Public Involvement and Sustainable Food Initiatives in Copenhagen
Forfattere
Semester
4. semester
Udgivelsesår
2016
Afleveret
2016-05-31
Antal sider
130
Abstract
Due to increasing climate challenges, Copenhagen has been taking measures to secure a more sustainable future and become CO2-neutral in 2025, by combining green sustainable solutions with public involvement. The Copenhagen municipality emphasize that citizens are a key prerequisite in the green transition and have also expressed formal interest in supporting urban food initiatives and grass root activities, as a meaningful way to support a sustainable development. However, there is room for improvement when it comes to citizen involvement, and it is necessary to find new ways of inclusion across the departments in the municipality. In our explorative case study we have interviewed representatives of the municipality and urban food initiatives, and analysed our data in relation to theory about public involvement, co-production and empowerment. We can conclude that the local municipal satellite units offer a more dynamic and innovative approach to public involvement. Furthermore, it is found that initiatives are likely to experience an easier process of collaboration with the municipality, when their initiatives fit the local agenda. Citizen involvement is not always the desirable scenario and may constitute a waste of resources, but when handled ‘correctly’, it offers the municipality and citizens an immense opportunity to co-develop a sustainable city.