%T Citizen participation in mega-events: experiences of local government employees and future prospects
%L theses_frw3533
%A Hanne Punt
%X This paper tries to answer the question: “What are the prospects for citizen participation during the pre-phase of mega-events based on the experiences of local government employees?” The question was answered by the case study of the Floriade 2022 in Almere which is currently in development. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with local government employees working for either the municipality of Almere or Floriade BV. All six interviewees were involved in
citizen participation to different degrees. In the paper, the forms of citizen participation implemented in the development of the Floriade as well as motives for choosing these forms are discussed. Furthermore, based on the results it can be concluded that lessons for the future of citizen participation in mega-events can be derived from the experiences of local government employees. These lessons consist of working from existing structures in society to involve residents with a
constituency, as well as formulating clear aims and targets relating to what to expect from participation at what stage of the process.
%D 2021