Hamburg's citizens help shape things: Together for more greenery and climate protection!

Hamburg's citizens help shape things: Together for more greenery and climate protection!

Hamburg is on the verge of significant progress in the area of ​​citizen participation and climate protection. According to an article by Hamburg University of Applied Sciences Hamburg's universities have initiated an innovative experiment for citizen participation. This research is part of a larger initiative with the aim of making the social relevance of science visible. The digital platform “beteilige.me” and the accompanying plastering project in Hamburg are fundamental components of these efforts. While the former aims to actively involve citizens in decision-making processes, the latter focuses on making the city greener.

Stefanie Hentschel, editor at the City of Hamburg, emphasizes that the “Science made in Hamburg” initiative arose from an idea from the Vice Presidents for Research at all Hamburg universities. Several institutions are involved, including the University of Hamburg, the Technical University of Hamburg and the University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf. Ten stories have been published so far, covering topics such as the effects of medications and the use of AI to generate images.

Citizen participation as part of the Climate Protection Plan 2050

Another important aspect of current developments in Hamburg is the Bertelsmann Foundation's pilot project for citizen participation in the 2050 Climate Protection Plan. This citizen participation process was evaluated in collaboration with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The federal government's climate protection plan is seen as a central instrument for achieving national climate goals. In this context, citizens were invited to actively participate in the design of climate protection measures. The centerpiece was the “Day of Citizen Dialogue on the Climate Protection Plan 2050”, which took place on November 14, 2015 in five locations. This procedure offers a model example of openness and transparency in political decision-making the Bertelsmann Foundation reported.

In the course of this process, not only citizens, but also municipal associations and states were involved in order to enable a broad-based discussion. An additional online dialogue complemented the physical events and ensured that citizens who were unable to attend on site were also heard.

Participation as a cornerstone of science

The involvement of civil society in research policy is of great importance in order to do justice to the needs and suggestions of the population. After BMFTR Citizens and civil society groups are actively involved in dialogue with politics, administration and science. This happens not only in relation to climate protection, but also in many other areas, such as health research. The research participation strategy aims to improve the framework conditions for effective citizen participation. In 2021, over 14,000 research questions were asked, which were documented in a results report.

The variety of participatory formats and the resulting recommendations for promoting a culture of participation are a sign of the growing trend towards more transparency and inclusion in research. Projects such as the Citizens' Council for Research and the Ideas Run make a valuable contribution to this. These initiatives show that participatory approaches to research are being taken increasingly seriously and will have an important influence on future research policy.

Overall, the current situation in Hamburg illustrates how important citizen participation is in shaping a climate- and future-friendly city. The dialogue between science and society is not only seen as necessary, but also as extremely beneficial for everyone involved.