Citizen Platforms - Chemnitz

Associations, initiatives and individual citizens have joined forces through Chemnitz's citizen platforms ("Bürgerplattformen") to sustainably improve the living conditions in the city's districts. The platforms, which were officially acknowledged by the City of Chemnitz in 2014, identify common concerns and problems in local neighbourhoods and serve as a framework to develop proposals for appropriate solutions. The potential realisation of the proposals are then negotiated with Chemnitz city representatives. The citizen platforms are now an established structure that is acknowledged and supported by the municipality. They are funded through a citizen flat rate ("Bürgerpauschale") of €1.61 (in 2019) that is collected by the municipality through taxes.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Public-community agreement

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Noise
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

There are no specific aims regarding nature-based solutions within the platforms, but the wide scope of potential initiatives that can be implemented through the platforms include such green solutions. All selected projects need to be sustainable and improve the life quality of the citizens. Thus, many measures that were implemented employ nature-based solutions, as they target parks, gardens, building greens and many other green areas. Cooperation in the citizen platforms also enabled citizens to have a say in the urban planning of their district and to learn how nature-based solutions can improve the quality of life for all citizens.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Coalition

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The citizen platforms were founded by citizens and associations to foster participation in district planning. In 2014, the municipality of Chemnitz also officially acknowledged the platforms and defined the seven districts in which platforms could be formed. The municipality also implemented the citizen flat rate to fund the platforms. Each platform has its own supporting organization ("Träger") that distributes the money collected by the municipality.

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Coalition

Details about the implementation:

Instrument implementation is to a large extent dependent on each platform's steering group. The steering groups are made up of voluntary representatives of local associations and institutions, but private individuals can also get involved. Every citizen can contribute their proposals, which are then discussed in the steering groups' monthly meetings.

How did the government support the instrument?:

The municipality has included the citizen platforms into the main statute of the city Chemnitz ("Hauptsatzung Stadt Chemnitz") in 2014. Thus, the platforms also receive allocated funding which is collected by the municipality through the citizens flat rate. The municipal administration is also urged to cooperate with the citizen platforms in implementing the instruments that have been decided upon by the steering groups. Moreover, representatives from the platforms are involved into municipal politics and are allowed to speak in committees and contribute statements on policies.

Financing

Budget:

100 000 € 500 000€

Details about instrument financing:

Each citizen pays a flat rate of €1.61 (2019) indirectly through their taxes to fund the citizen platforms. This results in a total budget of around €400,000 for all citizen platforms. The money is distributed by the supporting organizations to the different district platforms according to population. Each platform then decides individually how funds are allocated. Mostly, private persons or associations are funded with a few hundred euro to implement measures.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The seven citizen platforms are established and their financing is secured through the citizens flat rate. By 2023, the platforms have become a recognized format with their own websites and hundreds of completed projects to show. Many of those projects improved the life quality of Chemnitz residents, also by upgrading green and blue areas using nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration. The instrument has strongly fostered citizen participation in their districts and made local politics more accessible as well as helped to share the idea of sustainability and sustainable solutions throughout the population.

Success factors and lessons learned:

An important success factor was the successful cooperation between civil society and municipality. The motivation for the citizen platforms came from individuals or associations, who wanted to voluntarily contribute to life quality in their neighborhoods. The municipality then started supporting the platforms in 2014, giving them a fixed place in the city's political structure and securing funding through the flat rate. Thus, with a relatively low funding of €1.61/citizen, platforms could be set up for each of the seven districts and many successful and sustainable projects have been implemented.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

371 Stadtmagazin (2020). Bürgerplattformen als Beteiligungselement in Chemnitz. Available at: https://www.371stadtmagazin.de/magazin/magazin-alle-artikel/aufbauhilfe-kiez/ (Accessed 13.01.23)

Stadt Chemnitz (2014). Hauptsatzung der Stadt Chemnitz. Available at: https://www.chemnitz.de/chemnitz/media/rathaus/satzungen/10_100_202103.pdf (Accessed 13.01.23)

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://www.chemnitz.de/chemnitz/de/rathaus/buergerbeteiligung/engagement-und-mi…

Photos

@Hauptsatzung der Stadt Chemnitz