Convention citoyenne des Transitions de la Métropole de Rouen, what's next?
The Convention citoyenne des Transitions de la Métropole de Rouen (Rouen Metropolis Transitions Citizens' Convention ) brought together around 100 citizens over 5 working sessions, from September 2023 to June 2024. It took place in the context of the revision of three structuring documents: the territorial coherence scheme (SCoT), the territorial climate air energy plan (PCAET) and the intercommunal local urban plan (PLUi).
The scheme was set up and run with the help of Res publica.
To coincide with the submission of the report, we spoke to Isadora Guerra, head of the Métropole's citizen participation department.
How did the Citizens' Convention come about?
Isadora Guerra: As the person in charge of citizen participation at the Rouen Metropolis, I'd been wanting to set up a citizens' convention for a long time, but I'd been waiting for the ideal subject. What's more, the Métropole's elected representatives were also keen to organize a convention. During the revision of the territorial coherence plan (SCoT), the territorial climate air-energy plan (PCAET) and the intercommunal local urban planning plan (PLUi), we had to define a territorial project for 2050, in consultation with the population. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to organize a convention!
The convention was part of a wider consultation on the future of the Rouen Metropolis up to 2050, which made the two initiatives complementary. What came out of the citizens' convention was very rich, but we knew from the outset that it was only going to be the opinion of a small proportion of the population. It was therefore essential tobroaden the consultation to include not only the general public, but also Metropole employees, elected representatives and agents from the communes, associations, the business world and trade unions. To achieve this, we have created internal and external governance and consultation bodies. We have created an assembly of communes and organized a series of workshops with our development council. We set up a kiosk that criss-crossed the territory, enabling us to meet citizens directly, an online questionnaire and participatory public meetings. The aim was to increase the number of ways we could reach as many people as possible.
Why a citizens' convention? What's in it for me?
Isadora Guerra: Since this was the first convention organized by the Metropole, we had to defend the project to our colleagues, who might have been a little skeptical about the idea of asking citizens to help define the territory's project.
We asked ourselves the question of recruitment: were we going to call for volunteers, or draw lots from electoral lists? We opted for a voluntary approach, as we didn't want to rush citizens. However, as many people as possible had to be given the opportunity to volunteer. We criss-crossed the region to explain the process and invite people to participate. We went to train stations, markets, the Armada[1]... We received over 400 applications! We then drew lots to select 100 citizens, with the help of a bailiff, while respecting certain criteria (gender, place of residence (urban area, city center, communes, towns and villages), age bracket). Unfortunately, we didn't get all the CSP types we would have liked. The working-class category, for example, although very present in the area, was missing.
The main interest of the convention was the method designed by Res publica. We worked with volunteer citizens, so we couldn't disappoint them. Over 5 working sessions, we had the time to see the debate emerge, the subjects of dissensus, and the way to reach a consensus. It was a rich experience for everyone: the citizens learned a lot from the experts' contributions and the exchanges with their fellow citizens, while the elected representatives will be able to enrich their decision-making with enlightened input.
For us, the right to follow up was essential. We really had to be sure that we would be able to make use of citizens' contributions.
[1] The Rouen Armada is the world's largest gathering of tall ships. The event takes place every 4 years. The last edition took place in June 2023.
What about the method?
After several working sessions in sub-groups, the citizens collectively arrived at a shared vision of the territory in 2050, and a positioning on a symbolic scale for each dilemma.
The starting point was to reconcile the well-being of citizens with social and ecological justice, in a situation of disruption that is forcing change. The aim was to provide an informed opinion that would enable elected representatives to make informed choices.
What came out of this citizens' convention?
For the Metropole and its teams, the simple fact of preparing each weekend's work with the convention has provided material for the development of planning documents. The commitment of the colleagues in charge of these various documents has enabled constant iteration with citizens.
For the citizens, it was an experience as enriching intellectually as it was humanly. At the end of each weekend, they were tired, but had stars in their eyes!
The elected representatives were also very involved. Each session ended with a debriefing in the presence of one or more elected representatives. This was an important positive aspect of the method.
The aim of this convention was not to feed our eco-anxiety. Despite the alarming figures, the citizens didn' t give up hope because they had ideas for solutions. They were reassured by the presence of elected representatives, who were willing to listen to their proposals.
Finally, the convention provided material for the other areas of consultation. We were able to discuss what came out of it with other citizens, economic players and associations, and further fuel the ideas.
A "citizen monitoring committee" was set up following the agreement. What is it and what does it achieve?
We suggested that they think together about how their requests could be implemented. This is how the Citizens' Monitoring Committee came into being.
Naturally, this monitoring committee was to be made up of volunteer members of the convention. However, the members wished to include other citizens who had not taken part in the scheme.
The convention report was published, shared and disseminated in a press release. It was presented at a public meeting, broadcast in parallel on YouTube. The replay of the meeting is still available. A call for volunteers to join the monitoring committee was then launched. Around a hundred people responded favorably, necessitating a new draw!
At each stage in the preparation of the planning documents, the elected representatives propose that the monitoring committee reread and check whether the proposals of the citizens' convention have been incorporated. We organized a first meeting in November on the strategic development project (PAS). The citizens were generally satisfied. They did point out a few areas for improvement, notably that the content was sometimes a little too technical. In April/May/June, there will be further working sessions on the document d'orientation et d'objectifs (DOO), the document d'aménagement artisanal, commercial et logistique (DAACL) and the programme d'actions air énergie climat (AEC).
How will the link be made with other public consultation mechanisms?
We have tried to be as transparent as possible. The general public was informed of the citizens' convention. Occasionally, elements that had come out of the convention were discussed in public events.
I'd like to go further, for example by proposing that the citizens of the convention organize café-debates to raise awareness among other citizens of the challenges of the social-ecological transition.
We produced a video of the convention and published testimonials.
What do you remember about Res publica's support in framing and leading the Convention?
Implementing the approach took time, but it was very important. The storytelling, the work on dilemmas, the input from experts, the facilitation of debates (even at the most complicated moments), the feedback... All this was possible thanks to a service provider in whom we could have full confidence.
Listening, dialogue... Res publica applies its own methods of citizen participation in setting up processes! And I subscribe to it, because it's the method I use with my teams.
Irene ROSSETTI, Marie CASANELLES and Frédéric FIATTE
