by Margherita Valle
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5183-6770
Urban commons are essential to the vitality of any city. They serve not only as public spaces but also as catalysts for local development and technological innovation. This allows for greater transparency in budget execution and information sharing about community-owned spaces. The residents of a city play a critical role in shaping its dynamics, and it is vital that they have access to knowledge about these shared spaces.
At the end of 2022, the School of Architecture at Universidad Latina conducted research with a local government in the Greater Metropolitan Area of the capital of Costa Rica. Thanks to the research coordination of the architecture department and the effort of a final year student, a community’s urban commons were studied for the first time. This achievement led to the mapping of these urban commons and initiated collaboration with a Costa Rican municipality in potentially applying this concept.
The study focused on the Alajuelita canton in Costa Rica, which encompasses a territory spanning 21 square kilometers. Within this area lie 120 parks and playgrounds that are considered urban commons and receive maintenance on their green spaces from the local government. Upon closer observation of these areas, it became apparent that they had been subject to social abandonment and insufficient planning. This gave rise to the development of a guide aimed at addressing these issues. To this end, the proposal recommended a geospatial and digital survey of each location through the use of a diagnostic form.
Background.
The limited planning in previous administrations and the restricted budget, according to the Municipal Management Index 2014 (General Comptroller’s Office of the Republic, 2014), resulted in common goods not meeting maintenance standards, thus causing high percentages of citizen insecurity, local development lag, and social segregation in communities.
In previous years, Alajuelita reported low levels of human development due to a lack of local planning. However, these indices have been on the rise thanks to the good management of the current administration (2016–2024). In 2006, the index was 0.839, and by 2016, it had increased to 0.923, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index (2006–2016).
The research and guide were aimed at creating a roadmap that would enable the conversion and implementation of public spaces in the medium term. The commitment of local governments to achieve the SDGs was kept in mind while identifying the problems that had arisen in these public spaces.
Problem statement.
All of the urban commons in the canton lacked a diagnosis or study of their land, furniture, green spaces, or gardens. Additionally, there was no assessment of accessibility, uses, or actors involved in civic engagement by residents. From this, the research question was raised: How to promote civic participation and political activation through the dissemination of data on the conditions of existing common goods?
Justification.
Costa Rica has received various proposals for the utilization of public spaces with different types of technological implementations, some of which have been successfully implemented. As part of the Digital Transformation Strategy, in 2019, the Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications (MICITT) inaugurated the Connected Public Spaces Program. This program was funded by the National Fund and aims to provide access to free Wi-Fi in public spaces across Costa Rica. The implementation of this program is expected to have a significant impact on the accessibility and connectivity of citizens, particularly those who may not have access to these resources at home. Additionally, this initiative is anticipated to benefit local businesses by increasing foot traffic in public areas.
The research proposed the general objective of developing an Analysis Manual for the application of civic technologies that enabled political activation in the urban commons of the canton. This objective was to be achieved by 2022, through the dissemination of data and social, environmental, urban, and community interaction. Specific objectives were also raised, as follows: 1. Conduct a survey to locate common goods in a GIS-type archive. 2. Deepen topics with an interdisciplinary approach such as law, economics, engineering, and social sciences to strengthen the development of civic technologies.
Research Design.
How to promote civic participation and political activation through the dissemination of data on the conditions of existing common goods?
The research approach was mixed, as the solution to the problem posed involved diagnoses and studies that delimited and indicated how common goods should be. This was not only in the implementation of technologies, but also in the implementation of new strategies for citizen and political participation.
The variables that were analyzed in the study included civic citizen participation (qualitative, dependent), methodology for the use of civic technologies (quantitative, independent), and an inventory of workshops, talks, trainings, and activities generated that could be given in an urban common (qualitative, dependent).
Results.
The surveys and interviews that were conducted provided crucial data that allowed for the utilization of information. Based on this, an analysis manual was developed for the application of civic technologies. Its goal was to analyze common goods from various perspectives, proposing uses, technologies, and innovations.
Discussion.
After the analysis was carried out in the territory, and the common goods were diagnosed as children’s play areas and parks, it became even more clear that these commons had a significant need – not only in this canton but also in most others.
Beyond urban planning or comprehensive community projects, citizens have the right to enjoy these spaces, and local government must provide security, a healthy physical environment, well-being, development, democracy, and many other things that make up civic participation.
The transparency of data is an essential tool for the residents of the territory. How can we defend this right when we are unaware of our city? Unfortunately, this is what is experienced outside in the neighborhoods and parks. Our greatest task as privileged citizens is to share, propose, and seek to execute collective well-being.
Conclusions.
The urban commons, as a vital part of the city, deserve to be used in a way that is fundamental to the social, economic, cultural, physical, and urban development of its citizens. Alajuelita is a canton in full socio-economic development that has required understanding its territory from the most essential aspects. For this purpose, it was necessary to develop the tools so that the local government could begin a process of physical regeneration.
This study acknowledges the collaboration of Keily Mena Alfaro (author of the thesis), the Municipality of Alajuelita (Costa Rica), and the Municipality of Valladolid (Spain).
References