Community The Power to Change

Soci0- Cultural Sustainability A broad outlook with regard to the variety of communities in the area and paying unique attention to the marginal communities will enablemulti-cultural activity and connections between the various sectors – residents, businesses, governing authorities and third sector organizations. All of these are the basis for community resilience and an open and inclusive culture.

Transition to ‘Bottom-Up’ Processes Traditional approaches used by the decision-makers vis-à-vis the public (from the ‘Top-down’) have many flaws, which are addressed by the opposite method, which operates from the public in an upward direction (from the ‘Bottom-up’). The combination of these approaches makes it possible to reduce the gap between the points of view of the head of the authority and decision makers and those of the residents. Other advantages include the use of the residents’ knowledge, human capital, and resources such as manpower and development budgets. When the residents are busy at work, there is room for creativity, re-use of materials and self-creation. All of these not only support sustainability, but also conserve resources. In this way, a new discourse is created that connects residents to the officials, encourages an ongoing dialogue and reduces the gap between them.

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