The ecological transformation and recovery of five contaminated areas in Baia Mare, along with the significant environmental behavioral shift from citizens, wouldn’t have been possible without the SPIRE Local Action Network and the co-design participatory process developed and implemented in the city two years ago.
The SPIRE social lens builds upon a strategic multi-stakeholder framework that aims to transform the current urban social dynamics into a new model, based on three primary actions:
(1) Citizen engagement as a high priority for the SPIRE project and partners since the focus of the participatory approach is in the spirit of the project.
(2) Real co-creation processes as the tool to ensure consistency between citizens and future ecological (and experimental) public spaces.
(3) Active participation of the local community as a critical milestone to ensure the success of the re-naturalization of the five selected pilot sites through “Plantathlons” and the use of the innovative iLEU digital reward system.
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<h5>Collecting Data and Engaging Citizens</h5>
<p>In November 2019, the SPIRE team began the citizen engagement process with an overview of citizens’ and stakeholders’ perceptions about the state-of-play of the <em>economy, labor market, sociocultural life, environment</em> and <em>public space</em> dimensions in Baia Mare [1] through surveys, semi-structured interviews and focus group meetings.</p>
<p>Questionnaires were circulated among the neighborhood directly targeted by SPIRE. For instance, within the <em>environment and public space dimension</em>, we can see in Figure 2 how citizens perceive the threats to personal health posed by soil and water contamination. However, concerning the fear of contracting a pollution-related illness, around 20.5% of respondents agree or strongly agree, while approximately 43% strongly disagree or disagree.</p>
<p>The strategy approach had to be shifted from in-person to online questionnaires and workshops due to the COVID-19 situation. In July 2020, a public survey was launched to assess the level of awareness and openness among citizens concerning the critical ecosystem services that will be co-developed and implemented in Baia Mare: <em>phytoremediation and biomass upcycling; dynamic land-use management and participatory planning; </em>and <em>local value systems and blockchain support services.</em></p>
<p>Answers were accepted on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The results set the baseline for the citizenry’s levels of awareness and openness towards SPIRE’s topics, activities, and objectives:</p>
<p>The survey [2] unveiled relatively high awareness and openness towards most of the project’s core topics and proposed actions. It also found a general lack of knowledge concerning the upcycling and potential reuses of plant biomass.</p>
<p>Citizens’ awareness of environmental issues varied, even though a positive trend towards sustainable and “green” attitudes and behaviors was observed [3]. The environmental issue was revealed to be of significant concern for the population. A willingness to adopt nature-based solutions and enact behavioral change geared towards improving the local environmental situation was demonstrated. Despite some initial skepticism towards co-creation and participatory activities, a window of opportunity for a transition towards a <em>new green deal</em> has been identified in Baia Mare.</p>
<h5>Co-creating and Shared Decision Making</h5>
<p>From October 2020 through October 2021, a co-creation process was launched in the city, mainly relying on digital activities due to the pandemic – encompassing communication and dissemination actions and consultation, and collaborative workshops with the different communities [3]. The co-creation process incorporated three main stages:</p>
<p>Co-creation Stage 1: Preliminary assessment of the transformation potential including three general objectives:<br />
1. Raising awareness of the ecological and environmental challenges that Baia Mare is facing.<br />
2. Assessing community needs and necessities concerning green infrastructure, public space, and facilities/opportunities for locals to spend time in nature.<br />
3. Brainstorming on initial transformation ideas and potential facilities and functions for the pilot sites.</p>
<p>The SPIRE team developed an online questionnaire focused on needs identification, problem solving, creativity and ideas needed for the ecological transformation of the five public spaces located in different neighborhoods. It gathered inspiring answers and proposals.</p>
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