What are the impressions from the first citizens’ assembly in Érd? What are the steps the local residence would like to see the local municipality take in order to transform Érd into a greener, more community based and sustainable city?
Érd decided to test the advantages of participatory democracy by hosting a citizens’ assembly. This innovative tool is still rather new in Hungary but it is slowly gaining ground. Érd was the third city in Hungary – following in the footsteps of Budapest and Miskolc – that agreed to host such an event.
In May 2022 ten thousand randomly selected residents of Érd received an invitation to the Citizens’ Assembly subtitled:
Roads and Routes for Relief – How can we transform Érd from a commuting town into a vibrant, green city?
From those who responded to the invite 50 people were chosen by lottery. They were selected in a way that ensured, the members of the assembly would eventually be representative of the adult population of Érd with regard to age, gender, place of residence and level of education.
The 50 people chosen could attend the Citizens’ Assembly which was held over the course of two weekends (June 11-12 and June 25-26, 2022). In the final phase of the event the members of the Assembly voted on a proposal package containing seven elements.
This publication is the official report on the Érd Citizens’ Assembly which was prepared by the organizers of the event and others who contributed to the Assembly. The report details
- the concept and process of the Érd Citizens’ Assembly,
- the adopted proposals and the process leading to the birth of those proposals, and
- other results and outcomes of the Assembly.
Report on the Erd Citizens’ Assembly (2022)
If you would like to find out more about the Érd Citizens’ Assembly, please read our blogpost and take a look at the photos and the videos of the event.