Citizens Asset is the transfer of public assets’ use and management to non-profit collectives. Based on the logic that public things (municipal property) can become communal (citizen patrimony) through shared management. This is a reinvention of public properties which also provides tools and training to the communities responsible for the management. Citizen assets can be premises, buildings, facilities or public spaces.
Name of Method
Brief description
Citizens Asset promote and support the community management of municipal public resources. It grants premises, buildings or public spaces to the use of non-profit associations. Through an institutional and regulatory framework, the citizen experiences of community management of public assets are promoted.
Type/Level of Method
Challenges
Citizens Asset Program includes a citizen asset board where an internal municipal body ensures the coordination of any transfers of use carried out.
Problem, Purpose and Needs
Community management becomes a democratisation element in municipal public management and policies. Municipalities then aim to democratisise the management of public assets and build transparency, participation and accountability mechanisms.
Relevance to Climate Neutrality
Challenges
Thematic Areas
Impact Goals
Issue Complexity
Issue Polarisation
Enabling Condition
Essential Considerations for Commissioning Authorities
Engagement Journey
Governance Models and Approaches
Enabling Conditions
Democratic Purpose
Spectrum of participation
Communication Channels
Actors and Stakeholder Relationships
Non-profit organisations can register with the Citizens Asset program, in which case they are included in the Community Balance Sheet/Monitor. This balance sheet contains questions and indicators which assess the social responsibility, the democratic management and the degree of focus on the needs of the community on the project that the organisation intends to do.
Participant Numbers
Actors and Stakeholders
Participant Recruitment
Interaction between participants
Format
Social Innovation Development Stage
Scope
Time commitment
Resources and Investments
Citizens Assets Board- A municipal administrative body which coordinates the municipal departments and promotes the transfer of municipal assets to non-profit associations. The board adheres to the agreements with communities and non-profit asociations by adopting a protocol for the granting ptocess and evaluation.
Community Monitor- An auto-evaluation tool that helps measure the social impact of the community managed projects. It has a set of principles that define what community management use is. This criterion also defines the framework for regulating the access mechanism to the community management of the public resources and has been developed with the involved communities. The community monitor should be developed and agreed with the communities involved to evaluate and monitor the experiences. There are four criteria:
1. Bonding with the territory: Whether project is oriented toward the needs of the neighbourhood and to what extent it regards activities with the different actors of the neighbourhood.
2. Social impact and return: To what extent the project responds to community interest.
3. Internal democracy and participation: What ways of particiaption are planned to promote the capacity of the users. The degree of transparency of the project such as how clear is the information on desicion making and the use of spaces.
4. People, processes and environment care: The promotion of diversity, ethical principles and values of labour quality. It also looks at whether a project is sustainable and economically self-sufficient.
Citizens Assets Catalogue- A catalogue that contains a list of the spaces that have been assigned to non-profit organisations. With the catalogue, citizens gain knowledge of the different spaces and resources that the organisations can use in the Citizen Assets program.
Participatory Space- The governance and accountability body that provides follow-up to citizens on the Citizens Asset Program.
Typical duration
Resources and Investments
In-house
Step by Step
Evaluation
Connecting Methods
Flexibility and Adaptability
Existing Guidelines and Best Practice
References and Further Resources
Barcelona City Council Commons Policy: Citizens Asset Programme and Community management of public resources and services. Retrieved from https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/participaciociutadana/sites/default/files/documents/barcelona_city_council_commons_policy_citizen_assets_programme.pdf
Citizens Assets. Retrieved from https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/participaciociutadana/en/citizen-assets
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