Speaker
Description
The proposed paper aims to investigate the evolving role of digital technologies in relation to citizen-led urban activism in European cities, focusing on the evolution of civic crowdfunding initiatives in European cities.
An increasing number of digital platforms underpinned the growth of civic crowdfunding initiatives in European cities in the last few years, creating increased opportunities for grassroots creativity and engagement to coalesce towards urban transformation projects.
Early experiences show a whole array of governance arrangements from totally autonomous grassroots initiatives to various degrees of support by local government, as in the cases of London and Milan, where the Local Authorities stepped in not only to co-fund the selected projects but also to support nascent initiatives, helping with training, capacity building and support networks.
More recent experiments show an increasingly sophisticated ability to exploit the potential of digital technologies by both citizen groups and local bodies; at the same time, however, the growing confidence in the use of digital platforms does not appear to directly correlate with a more mature and critical approach towards the role such interfaces play at the individual as well as a collective level.
Building on evidence from recent practices in European cities, including completed and ongoing initiatives, the paper will thus critically reflect on gaps, contradictions, and issues for further research emerging from empirical cases.
| GDPR complianced | Yes |
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| I am willing and able to travel to Norway unless Covid-19 restrictions prevent me from traveling to Stavanger. | YES |
