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Questions and answers on the participation procedure

Why did the City of Zurich review the interface to the districts?

  • Zurich is changing, the districts are growing, new parts of the quarter have emerged and the population is becoming more and more diverse. According to population scenarios, this development will continue unabated in the coming years. In 2035, more than 500,000 people are expected to live in the city of Zurich, compared to less than 360,000 in 1990.
  • This growth is associated with social changes. Diversity is increasing. The population is becoming more international, the city accommodates more families with children, the images of old age are changing, in general a wide variety of lifestyles and ideas are lived. In addition, digital change is increasingly permeating all areas of life.
  • The city of Zurich stands in a completely different place today than it did 20 or 30 years ago. The task of the city administration to reach the population has become more complex. The city administration therefore wants to take a closer look at its interface to the districts.
  • The change also poses challenges for neighbourhood associations, and the demands are increasing. The task of being a "mouthpiece" for the district and promoting cohesion is becoming more complex. At the same time, it is becoming more difficult to find people who are willing to volunteer in associations.
  • In addition to the neighbourhood associations, other neighbourhood association-like organisations are increasingly committed to the quality of life and good coexistence in the districts and claim to represent neighbourhood concerns.
  • Together with those involved and affected, the city is therefore looking for a contemporary and sustainable system for the inclusion of the districts and for the support of neighbourhood activities that reflects the diversity of the city.
  • The project has been on the city's agenda for some time now. In the resolution on the financial support of the district associations for the years 2017 to 2020, the review has already been recorded (city council decision number 537/2016 of 29 June 2016).

What result did the City of Zurich aim for with the project?

  • The result is open. It is important that the current system at the interface between the districts and the city administration is analyzed together with all those involved, that the result does justice to the growing and changing city of Zurich and that it reflects the diversity of the population.
  • The aim of the participation procedure is to develop a basis for the political decision-making process. The final "Participation Procedure Report" is intended to show the possible need for action and contain recommendations for optimization.
  • Zurich should remain an open, solidary and diverse city, with a high quality of life and a good coexistence in all quarters.

What was the purpose of the participation procedure?

  • The topic concerns numerous different civil society organisations as well as various municipal bodies. The perspectives and expectations are correspondingly diverse. Therefore, the project is designed as a transparent participation process. This brings together the relevant interest groups and makes their activities, needs and attitudes transparent.
  • The aim of the participation process is to integrate and take into account the views and needs of the relevant civil society organisations and the municipal departments.
  • The exchange between the city and districts is to be further improved. The focus is on the question of what a contemporary and forward-looking system that reflects the diversity of the city must look like for the even better inclusion of local concerns and for the promotion of an active neighborhood life.
  • On the basis of the results of the participation procedure, politicians will be able to decide on a broad-based system for cooperation with the districts.

How was the participation procedure designed?

  • The City of Zurich, together with the most diverse actors in the districts and other interested parties, is drawing up an interpretative order. What are the social currentities and realities and what challenges arise from this for the interfaces between the city and the districts?
  • The participation procedure aims to jointly identify possible opportunities for improvement and, if necessary, to propose optimisations. The goal is a contemporary and sustainable system for the inclusion of the districts and for neighborhood activities. The end result is open.

What did the project mean for those involved?

  • The support of organizations and activities in the districts is to be continued. The support should be transparent and reflect the diversity of the city. Basically, this project is not about an expansion of the available urban resources and also not about a reduction, but at most about a reorganization of the distribution of funds. The support contributions until and including 2020 will remain unchanged for the neighbourhood associations.
  • The participation process is looking for a contemporary and sustainable system that takes into account the current social events and realities of cooperation at the interface between the city and the districts. The exchange between the city and the districts is to be further improved.

What principles guided the City of Zurich in this project?

  • The participation process is participatory and transparent. Those involved and affected are involved and can express themselves and get involved.
  • The interpretation of the current situation, the naming of the challenges and the development of possible improvements take place together in a participation process.
  • Invited participants and those affected come together for participation at the large group conferences, and the possibilities of digitization in the sense of eParticipation for all are also used.
  • The discussion and the development of proposals take place together in the project. In the end, however, politics decides which possible changes are implemented.
  • Basically, the process is not about an expansion of the available urban resources and also not about a reduction, but at most about a reorganization of the distribution of funds.

How were the participants involved?

  • All interested parties can contribute online via an eParticipation platform. Invitees can participate in large group conferences on site.
  • The two large group conferences will take place on 18/19 January 2019 and 29.6.2019. The eParticipation starts on 1 February 2019 and runs until 28 February. Information on this can be found in advance on this website.
  • The city actively and regularly informs about the project.

What was the project assignment?

  • The neighbourhood association system is facing fundamental challenges. The city is growing and its population is changing. In addition to the neighbourhood associations, various other organisations are committed to living together and improving the quality of life in the neighbourhoods. In addition, new forms of commitment are emerging.
  • With its application to the municipal council for the support contributions to the neighbourhood associations, the city council therefore stated as early as the summer of 2016 that it wanted to analyse the interface between the city and the population in the neighbourhoods with a view to the support period from 2020 onwards. In the summer of 2018, Mayor Corine Mauch and City Councillor Raphael Golta commissioned Zurich's Urban Development together with the Social Services for this analysis.
  • At the heart of the project is the question of what a modern system must look like for the inclusion of local concerns and the promotion of an active neighbourhood life that reflects the diversity of the city and its population. The project is to be carried out as a broad-based, transparent participation procedure. The views and needs of the neighbourhood associations, other relevant civil society organisations and the municipal departments are taken into account. The aim of the project is neither a reduction nor an increase in urban funds for neighbourhood issues.

Which clubs, organisations and groups were involved in the process? What were the criteria to be there?

  • It is important to involve the neighbourhood associations, other neighbourhood organisations and the city administration offices. They are the ones who are active together at the interface between the city and the districts.
  • Participation in the large group conferences is by invitation. A maximum of 150 participants should attend the large group conferences.
  • The two large group conferences will take place on 18/19 January 2019 and 29.6.2019. The eParticipation starts on 1 February 2019 and runs throughout February. Information on this can be found in advance on this website.
  • The list of invitees is displayed under Documents and Links .

What is a neighbourhood association for the city?

  • In the city of Zurich, there are 25 associations organized in accordance with Art. 60 et seq. ZBG, which are recognized by the city as neighborhood associations for the performance of important functions at the interface to the neighborhood population and are financially supported. The basis for this is the resolution "Urban Development, Neighbourhood Associations of the City of Zurich, Contributions 2017–2020" (GR No. 2016/244).
  • The neighbourhood associations are politically and denominationally neutral and are open to all interested persons and organisations related to the neighbourhood.
  • The umbrella organisation of the neighbourhood associations is the Quartierkonferenz Zürich association, which is also financially supported by the city.

What are "neighbourhood association-like organisations"?

  • In this process, organisations based on voluntary commitment which, like the neighbourhood associations, are thematically committed to a good coexistence and a high quality of life in a certain area of the city are considered to be "neighbourhood association-like". They are also aimed at the general population and are open to them.
  • The demarcation of these organizations from the other organizations with a neighborhood and population reference can not be made in every case.

Who are the other organisations with a neighbourhood and population reference?

  • These are organizations that, due to their activities at the interface of the city to the population in the neighborhoods, can bring important perspectives into the process.
  • The demarcation of these organisations from the organisations similar to the neighbourhood associations cannot always be made in a clear manner.

Who was represented by the city administration?

  • These are the members of the municipal monitoring group as well as the project management and the project team (see organization chart under documents and links).
  •  The departments have determined their own representations.

With what contributions does the city support the diverse quartz life?

  • The City of Zurich promotes activities in the districts in various forms. The Presidential Department supports and promotes the work of the neighbourhood associations with contributions to finance the performance of their role as neighbourhood representatives and contributions to events of all kinds. It is based on the resolutions of the city council and the municipal council on the financing of the neighbourhood associations and the cooperation agreement between the city and the neighbourhood conference.
  • The Department of Social Affairs supports and promotes socio-culture with contributions to organisations and projects that focus on socio-cultural achievements. The organisations must make a share of their own contributions, whether financially or in the form of voluntary work. The concluded contracts with the organizations define the services, the controlling and the contributions.
  • The demarcation of the two forms of funding and the categorisation of the supported activities is not always quite clear. For the city of Zurich, the pragmatic support of a diverse neighborhood life is at the center.
  • The review of the interface between the city and the population in the districts is open-ended. Depending on the results of the process, the city will optimize the current practice of its contributions if necessary.

How much did the whole project cost?

  • The project budget for 2018 and 2019 is CHF 149,000.

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