CEE Citizens Network www.ceecn.net

Innovative city.

Koryazhma civic initiative

Koryazhma

(Russian: Коря́жма) is atowninArkhangelsk Oblast,Russia(its geographical coordinates are 61° 18' 48" North, 47° 7' 43"), located on the left bank of theVychegda River 30 kilometers (19 mi) east of Kotlas. It was founded in 1535. Population: 42,811 (2002 Census); “Development of the city means that the whole city has to be involved in the development process”that is the conclusion made by participants of a number events which took part in Koryazhma. Peopleattended a series of round tables and seminars hold withinh the framework of Citizens ParticipationWeek in order to discuss how to develop local initiatives and their community.Koryazhma is a small industrial city in the south-west of Archangelsk region (about 43 thousandinhabitants) with a big pulp and paper factory.These events has rather meaningful results. The city has received new concept of its development bymean of involvement of the population and empowering local community. We can say that it the resultof few years of our hard work which make it happen. Public territorial self-government was growing inthe city step by step involving people in decision making concerning local problems. Nowadays there8 self-government organs (organ TOS as they are called in Russian, which means territorial publicself-government) and dozens of tenant cooperatives. Now it is evident, that local activists united in active groups (TOSes and tenant cooperatives) can growinto mighty force. Now TOS leaders and activists decidethat they can (and should) set up new goals aimed on newmore complicated and tasks. And discussions of the futurehad such a consequence: it was decided that city TOSnetwork should become one of the mechanisms of innovative development of the city. September 2008 has laidthe milestone of new ideology in the city development andthe mainstream is population involvement and communityempowerment. It will be turned into special program.Certainly public self-government (which means involvedand motivated population) is not the main actor in the citydevelopment. The main actors are authorities and business.But self-government bodies can find solutions for the tasksoften which can’t solve other actors. There spheres whichcan’t be developed without involvement of the population. For examples in such issues as keeping of domicile, landscape design, leisure time and hobbies, work with children, youngsters, elderly people,of cultural traditions, ecology, prevention of crime, individual and public security in the city, - can population can make significant contribution. “Development of the city means that the whole city isinvolved.