Civil Society and Local Governance:

Bc. Rozálie STEJSKALOVÁ

Master's thesis

From Islands of Positive Deviation to Flourishing Local Communities, The case of the Czech Republic

Abstract:

The reasons for the absence of the non-protest environmentally-oriented bottom-up initiatives Transition Towns in the Czech Republic have not been properly researched in academia. Attention has neither been paid to what local governments in cities may do to support the emergence and development of such initiatives. The thesis, therefore, employs the perspective of system theory to understand the reasons behind the lack of such initiatives in the CR. Employing qualitative content analysis, it subsequently analyses top-down community engagement in four urban development processes in a sample of thirty-six cities for each of the processes (N=36), (N=36), (N=36), (N=36). Another analysis is conducted focusing on participatory activities (N=140) of seventy-four municipalities and other entities active in the programme Local Agenda 21. The analysis identifies the degree to which the general public has been engaged in those development processes as well as the community-building character of the participatory events. Furthermore, based on a model of good participation, it assesses the community-building character the engagement possesses in both analysed areas. The findings show that the community-building character in the analysed urban development processes as well as in the participatory activities is either absent, low or not capitalizing on its full potential. At the end of the thesis, it is recommended that local governments (in cities with extended authority above 10000 inhabitants) create a permanent, systematic and consistent interdepartmental and interdisciplinary unit. Such a unit should first and foremost focus on humanistic participation as opposed to mechanistic participation which is currently commonly applied in the CR. Such an approach will fuel the emergence and development of local communities. This will in turn enable and facilitate the implementation of sustainability projects which need and presume functioning local community.

Abstract:

Akademicka obec doposud vCeske republice komplexne neprobadala duvody absence rozsireni neprotestni environmentalne orientovane iniciativy "zdola nahoru" s nazvem Mesta prechodu ("Transition Towns"). Pozornost nebyla venovana ani tomu, co mohou mistni samospravy ve mestech udelat pro podporu vzniku a rozvoje takovych iniciativ. Jednim z cilu teto prace je prostrednictvim perspektivy teorie systemu prozkoumat duvody, proc takove iniciativy v CR nevznikaji. Nasledne prace pomoci kvalitativni obsahove analyzy studuje a analyzuje zapojeni komunity "shora dolu" ve ctyrech procesech mestskeho rozvoje na vzorku triceti sesti mest v kazdem z techto procesu (N = 36), (N = 36), (N = 36), (N = 36). Dalsi analyza je provedena se zamerenim na participativni aktivity (N = 140) v sedmdesati ctyrech mestech a jednotkach aktivnich v programu Mistni agenda 21. Analyza identifikuje miru zapojeni siroke verejnosti do techto rozvojovych procesu a participativnich aktivit a na zaklade modelu dobre participace posuzuje, jaky komunitotvorny charakter tyto procesy a aktivity maji. Zjisteni ukazuji, ze komunitotvorny charakter v analyzovanych procesech mestskeho rozvoje a v participativnich aktivitach bud chybi, je nizky, nebo naplno nevyuziva existujici potencial. V zaveru prace je doporuceno, aby samospravy (v mestech s rozsirenou pusobnosti nad 10 000 obyvatel) vytvorily stalou, systematickou a konzistentni mezirezortni a interdisciplinarni jednotku, ktera by se v prvni rade zamerovala na humanistickou participaci na rozdil od participace mechanisticke, ktera se v Ceske republice bezne pouziva. Takovy pristup podpori vznik a rozvoj mistnich komunit a tim usnadni realizaci projektu udrzitelnosti, ktere predpokladaji fungujici mistni komunitu a neobejdou se bez ni.

Keywords

mistni komunita, obcanska spolecnost, mesta, municipality, obcanska angazovanost, komunitni rozvoj pristup shora dolu, pristup zdola nahoru, participace, udrzitelny rozvoj, Ceska republika

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 6. 6. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Mgr. Lenka Dušková, PhD.

Palacký University Olomouc

Faculty of Science

Master programme / field:
Geography / Foresight for Environment and Development