Making participation sustainable: developing and testing a permanent participatory model in Verviers (Belgium)

This paper presents a case study on the development and testing of a permanent participatory model in the City of Verviers, Belgium. Faced with the imperative to involve residents in municipal decision-making and the challenge of ensuring representativeness and long-term viability, the City of Verviers initiated a pilot experiment with the methodological support of the University of Liège. Drawing on principles from existing participatory mechanisms and literature, particularly the permanent citizen dialogue in the German-speaking Community, the model is based on a permanent Participatory council, thematic Citizen assemblies, and a Permanent secretariat. Through a selection process involving random draws and demographic quotas, 75 residents were engaged in a participatory process on various municipal topics. Despite challenges such as recruitment difficulties in multicultural neighborhoods and uncertainty about the future of the model, the pilot demonstrated promising response rates and fruitful collaboration between citizens and municipal authorities. This article underscores the importance of ongoing monitoring and adaptation to ensure the long-term viability and effectiveness of this model.