Paris permanent citizens assembly - FIDE/Mairie de Paris
- jonmoskovic
- Dec 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2024
Design
The Paris Permanent Citizens' Assembly is an ongoing democratic initiative in Paris, aimed at engaging citizens in long-term, structured deliberation on key issues facing the city. It is part of a broader movement to institutionalize citizen participation in governance, ensuring that citizens have a consistent and direct influence on public policies and urban decision-making.
With FIDE and Mairie de Paris
The Citizens' Assembly is a permanent deliberative democratic body whose members are renewed every 12 to 18 months. 100 Parisians aged 16 and over are mobilized by a weighted drawing of lots, in order to ensure certain representation criteria: gender parity, diversity of age groups, diversity of social classes (by level of diploma), geographical diversity of the territory (representation of the districts).
Key aspects of the Paris Permanent Citizens' Assembly
1. Continuous Engagement
Unlike temporary or issue-specific assemblies, this assembly is designed to be permanent, providing a continuous forum for citizen involvement. It allows residents to engage in an ongoing process of deliberation and discussion, ensuring that their voices are heard regularly in the city's governance.
2. Inclusive representation
The assembly is composed of a diverse group of citizens, selected to reflect the demographic and social diversity of Paris. This ensures that all parts of the community are represented and that decisions reflect the broad range of perspectives within the city.
3. Focus on key issues
The assembly addresses a variety of topics, such as urban development, environmental sustainability, social inequality, and public services. It is particularly focused on issues that directly impact the lives of Parisians, with the goal of fostering policies that meet the needs of all residents.
4. Integration with local government
The assembly works closely with the city’s local government to ensure that its recommendations are taken into account in the policymaking process. It serves as a bridge between the public and the authorities, aiming to enhance transparency, accountability, and citizen trust in government.
5. Deliberative democracy
The assembly is based on principles of deliberative democracy, where citizens are given the space and time to discuss issues thoroughly, weigh different perspectives, and come to informed, collective decisions. This approach ensures that decisions are not only representative but also carefully considered and based on reasoned argument.
6. Citizen-led proposals
The assembly does not just provide a space for citizens to react to pre-existing policies but also empowers them to propose their own ideas and solutions. This active role in policymaking aims to create a sense of ownership and responsibility among participants.
L'Assemblée ne se limite pas à la réaction face aux propositions des autorités locales.
Overall, the Paris Permanent Citizens' Assembly is a significant step in integrating participatory democracy into the daily governance of the city, providing citizens with an ongoing and institutionalized platform to contribute to decision-making and shape the future of Paris.