Civic Activity and Population’s Engagement in Urban Planning Policy: Case of Russia, Germany and the Baltics

This Bachelor thesis aims to study and evaluate the availability and effectiveness of participatory methods in urban policy in Russia, Kazakhstan and Germany. The main objectives of the research are to study the consequences of the introduction of participatory practices, to review the specifics of the forms of delimitation of participatory policy instruments, to determine the importance of local government in the development of participatory mechanisms, to conduct a comparative analysis of available forms of participation in Russia, Kazakhstan and Germany, to identify the factors that influence the effectiveness of participatory practices in urban politics, to propose recommendations to improve the effectiveness of participatory politics. As a result of the study, the research problem posed in the thesis was substantiated: the effectiveness of participatory methods depends on the contextual prerequisites of the states in which they are implemented. The study examined and analyzed the following forms of citizen participation in urban policies: methods of housing management; forms of public participation in meetings, public hearings and discussions on urban planning projects; “digital” forms of participation through Internet portals in Russia, Kazakhstan and Germany. The thesis also identified differences in the implementation of participatory policies in countries with different social and political backgrounds. As a result of a comprehensive analysis of documents, municipal and state Internet portals, scientific practical literature on the topic of participatory politics, cases of public participation in urban politics within the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as relying on expert comments of specialists in the field of participatory politics and work with urban politics, the thesis identified and substantiated the main factors – contextual constraints of the states that influence the effectiveness and efficiency of forms of public participation in urban politics. Based on this Bachelor thesis, the following recommendations were proposed to improve the effectiveness of participatory politics in different regions: 1. In order to develop quality participatory policy in a particular country, it is necessary to carry out a preliminary analysis of the contextual preconditions of the territory. Moreover, in order to improve the effectiveness of public participation in urban policies, it is also necessary to rely on the results of a local pre-project analysis that will highlight the regional specificities of the territory; 2. When developing programs of public participation in urban politics, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the following indicators: information transparency of participation processes and the level of citizens’ engagement. The results of the practical part of the study show that these factors affect the effectiveness of each of the considered forms of participation regardless of territorial aspects. 3. It is necessary to develop integrated practices of participatory organization, which, in order to address the issues of one project, include variable and diverse forms of participation (meetings, excursions, online voting, etc.).