Emerging during the negotiations for the unratified Constitutional Treaty and officially launched with the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Citizens' Initiative allows citizens to invite the European Commission to propose legislation to the European Parliament and the Council based on an idea which gathers …

In human-controlled environments, areas of wild plants are 'translated' into cultivated landscapes to accommodate social, cultural and economic needs. This article explores indoor, agricultural and (sub)urban landscape in the Netherlands, focusing on the use of plants both indoors and outdoors, and reveals …

The authors consider the reality that endless economic growth on a finite planet is unsustainable, especially if society has exceeded ecological limits. The paper examines various aspects of society's endless growth predicament. It reviews the idea that there are 'limits to growth'; it then considers …

In the context of the participation society, roles and expectations of citizens and municipalities are vastly changing. While designers and design researchers explore the potentials of apps to empower citizens, municipalities are interested in data dashboards—accompanied by applications and community …

Citizen science – the active participation of lay people in research – may yield crucial local knowledge and increase research capacity. Recently, there is growing interest to understand benefits for citizen scientists themselves. We studied the perceived impacts of participation in a public health citizen …

Meerlanden collects and recycles waste in order to create resources for new products. In addition, Meerlanden maintains the public area in a sustainable way. The communication team wonders whether the citizens (customers) and the employees view Meerlanden in terms of the desired corporate identity. The …

Een buurt gezond maken én houden is niet eenvoudig. Je hebt er veel kennis voor nodig over de gezondheid, de behoeften, de gewoontes en de ideeën van bewoners. Ook moet je weten hoe gezond de leefomgeving is én wat daaraan verbeterd kan worden. Hoe staat het met de kwaliteit van de huizen, is er genoeg …

In the shift towards the Big Society, it is widely proclaimed that citizen participation and citizens’ initiatives are indispensable to maintaining services that used to be run by local or regional governments. Despite the increased interest in citizens’ initiatives, research has scarcely debated what …

De wereld wordt vloeibaar en de zekerheden waarop wij jaren hebben kunnen vertrouwen vallen weg. Dat dit een nieuw soort mens vraagt, is al uit andere onderzoeken gebleken. Voor dit onderzoek was de vraag of de honoursalumni, een groep die nog nouwelijks onderzocht is, deze mens is. Er is maar weinig …

This article discusses developments in citizen participation and its contribution to democracy since the publication of the original article. It evaluates the continued relevance of the use of a normative framework to assess different forms of citizen participation, nuances some of the conclusions and …