COVID-19, Iniciativas cidadãs nos territórios (I)
@Praça das Redes | 4 de maio 2020
O período de confinamento e de sucessivos estados de emergência em consequência da pandemia COVID-19 foi marcado pelo surgimento de inúmeras iniciativas solidárias e cidadãs que assumiram o caráter de resposta da sociedade civil a várias necessidades e situações de urgência sobretudo nas comunidades locais. Estas ações foram sendo identificadas, registadas, mapeadas, analisadas e até avaliadas em diversas plataformas e grupos de trabalho, constituindo um capital social relevante que importa acompanhar e explorar num sentido progressivo do quantitativo para o qualitativo.
Da curva ao alternativo
A organização de informação sobre o que foi levado a efeito está a decorrer em diversos quadros organizativos desde o académica ao associativo. De entre as démarches em curso importa sinalizar uma rede informal que foi progressivamente ganhando capacidade de registo, de divulgação e de promoção de iniciativas, com origem em Espanha, a Frena la Curva, que reúne países como: Colombia, México, Costa Rica, Polónia, Equador, França, Brasil, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Portugal, Venezuela, Chile, Bolívia e Alemanha.
Futuros alternativos
Em Portugal esta dinâmica teve expressão no movimento Achata a Curva e tem agora continuidade nos Futuros Alternativos que, para além de uma ampliação do universo de registo e de mapeamento das iniciativas que foram concretizadas em Portugal nestes domínios, desenvolve agora uma abordagem mais reflexiva e tendencialmente orientada para processos de sistematização de experiências. A possibilidade de serem produzidas recomendações para a construção de soluções mais estruturais no plano do desenvolvimento sustentável não está posta de lado.
Por sua vez noutros quadrantes geográficos que não os mencionados surgiram também processos agregadores dos quais fazemos aqui algumas referências.
Comecemos pela Rede LDNet (cujos conteúdos reproduzimos parcialmente e na língua de origem)
A REDE LDNet, levantamento e sistematização
Quem está a organizar dados e que tópicos estão a ser abordados:
RSA:
The RSA is collating multi-disciplinary resources and evidence on how regions, cities and industry are dealing with the impact of the COVID19.
URBACT:
URBACT has developed a map illustrating how cities are responding to COVID-19.
ENRD:
ENRD has published examples of projects and initiatives primarily launched by rural communities in coping with the COVID-19 emergency.
FARNET:
FARNET is offering a rolling coverage of efforts and actions carried out by FLAGs and other bodies to support the fisheries and aquaculture sector overcome the challenges presented by COVID-19.
AEIDL:
Several AEIDL collaborators share their thoughts on the unprecedented crisis that we are going through, and express their vision and expectations, for better or worse, for the future.
OECD:
This OECD newsletter has a number of relevant items under “Tackling the COVID-19 crisis together: our policy responses”, including:
- From pandemic to recovery: Local employment and economic development
- Tourism Policy Responses
- SME Policy Responses
- Cities Policy Responses
- Territorial Policy Responses
2. An LDnet selection: Local development in the COVID-19 era
Contributions from Peter Ramsden, Alistair Adam-Hernandez, Stefan Kah, Robert Lukesch, Jean-Pierre Pellegrin
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Implications for Rural Economies
An interesting paper by Jeremy Phillipson et al presents a rapid assessment of current and likely future impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on rural economies given their socio-economic characteristics – click HERE or HERE.
COVID-19, Territorial Inequalities and Spatial Justice
A first contribution from the Horizon 2020 IMAJINE project, which has been exploring the dynamics of territorial inequalities in Europe and investigating how these can be most effectively addressed by policy interventions, drawing in particular on the concept of spatial justice. The COVID-19 crisis and its uneven impacts add another layer to the complex inter-play of factors that shape spatial variations in the distribution of wealth and wellbeing, raising questions about the extent to which structural inequalities have been reflected in the geography of the outbreak; whether the crisis will reinforce existing territorial inequalities or produce new territorial inequalities; and how experiences of the pandemic will change people’s perceptions of spatial justice and injustice, and their attitudes towards solidarity and regional resilience – Click HERE
This #FridaysForFuture, discover the story of this migrants’ cooperative that has become key for food provision in #Italy during the #pandemic. Raised fist Herb #ClimateJustice through a #RightToTheCity lens: #UrbanRuralLinkages with #SocialSolidarityEconomy – Click HERE
Check out the 1st UrbanA Community Conversation with João Dinis, from Cascais, Portugal, who gave an insightful presentation on creating a local climate adaptation plan. It was followed by a live exercise in creating an actual plan – Click HERE
COVID-19: Share your initiatives!: Wishing to share local initiatives in the fight against coronavirus, the French government has turned to Carrefour des innovations sociales, a platform in which AEIDL participates – Click HERE
Rennes – citizen factory platform and a reading corner full of publications, An online platform is now offered to residents to shared good practices to improve people’s lives during confinement. @metropolerennes #coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve – Click HERE
Which of our #Mayors are doing best during the #CoronaVirus emergency? What did they do and what can we learn from them for those that are not doing so well? Tweet your suggestions using @LDnetNews we will disseminate. @URBACT @post2020regions @EUROCITIEStweet @ICLEI @CCRECEMR
The @LarderLancs is a social enterprise providing meals for homeless, elderly and other groups in Lancashire during the #CoronavirusPandemic Bravo @LDnetNews
Keeping collective culture alive: Rotterdam’s virtual music – Click HERE
Nantes – To support economic actors from artisans to small enterprises, Nantes is taking a range of actions including tax exemption, a single information point, and funding solutions – Click HERE #COVIDnewsCities #covid19 @NantesMetropole
Distributed production comes of age with the use of 3d printing to make urgently needed respirators. Who knew that it would take the #coronavirus crisis to make 3d printing socially useful? Can we find more examples of digitally driven local development? @LDnetNews
The French people made more than 1.9 million contributions in two months and held more than 10,000 community meetings.” @pcoullomb of @OpenfieldDesign shares examples of successful participative #democracy initiatives in the Spring 2020 issue.
See also:
Three initiatives in Tsalka municipality in Georgia received EU funding to effectively address health and education problems posed by the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The initiatives were selected from a total of 17 applications received within the rapid response grant competition “New Challenges, New Opportunities” announced by Tsalka Local Action Group (LAG).
