Table 7 Classification of reasons per actor contributing to why climate city networks have a hard job in enabling municipalities to take up citizen participation in local climate decision-making
Actor | Reason |
|---|---|
Climate city network (TCN or NCN) | - Poorly supported by (national) network coordinator - Lack of funding and capacities. Depending on national government support (i.e., financial) - Stress participation, but not as main domain of action - Are seen by municipalities to serve other purposes like making a pledge to the international community or green city branding - Only exercise 'soft governance’; lack enforceable, impactful instrumentation |
Municipality | - Depend on key persons within the municipal organisation (i.e., civil servants, mayor or alderman) that serve as connection to the climate city network. Prone to these persons leaving which leads to a critical link falling away, leaving the municipality disconnected - Public officials fear that citizen participation decision-making outcomes do not align well with existing policy agendas, and are opposed to adopting far-reaching modes of citizen participation - Indicate viewing participation as being important, but not aware or not working actively to take up participation actions themselves. Not aware about how to facilitate and organise participation - Expect participation to emerge from within residents’ groups themselves - Lacking capacities (e.g., staff, time, knowhow) - Seek to prioritise working in more formal or mandatory structures like ‘energy regions’ or ‘heating transition’ (developing a transition vision heat for local neighbourhoods like all other municipalities in the country do) - Prioritise connecting to structures that satisfy financial needs more directly (e.g., framework programs with national or EU funding) |
Citizens | - Familiar with municipalities as public service provider, and not so much as facilitating citizens to get involved with public decision-making - Distrust of municipalities - Active citizens are more familiar with—and prefer organising grassroots citizen action at the local/neighborhood level. This often comes with its own structure, like energy collectives (e.g., energy cooperatives) - Many subgroups of which many are hard to reach (e.g., elderly, minorities). Issue of inclusion - Not much familiar with climate city networks |