Participatory Prioritisation Workshop

2 - 5 days
Participatory Activity
Toolbox Themes
  • ParticipationInclude diverse stakeholders, sectors, and perspectives to improve and make more inclusive the urban planning process and results.
Objectives

Conduct a participatory exercise with key stakeholders to prioritise strategic projects.

Results
  • Participatory project prioritisation

  • Mapping of responsibilities and co-responsibilities by project

  • Catalytic and strategic projects list linked to Strategies and Initiatives from Activity E21 in the Strategic and Spatial Development Plan

Description

This activity seeks to involve various key stakeholders to jointly prioritise the projects , it's also an opportunity to assign roles to each stakeholder, for each project. This is an important exercise to align and ensure sustainability and commitment in the implementation of the plan. The workshop should involve the advisory and steering committees, as well as other stakeholders responsible for implementing the projects and institutions, target groups and beneficiaries that would be directly or indirectly impacted or involved in the project. These can be representatives of various public bodies of the municipal and central governments. Before the workshop, the pre feasibility study can be shared with the participants so they can have an overview of the project lists and its pre feasibility.

First, the short list of projects and the information consolidated in the previous activity should be presented, which provides data that will inform the decision on the prioritisation of projects. Then, a methodology can be applied where a score from 0 - 5 is assigned to each project according to its contribution and alignment with the objectives and strategies of the plan (where 0 means no contribution and 5 means high contribution). An alternative exercise is to have a project sheet printed out and a panel with a horizontal axis where the left side is lower priority and the right side is higher priority. Participants should, in groups, agree to place the projects in order of priority. This ensures that there is a multi-stakeholder discussion to reach an agreement. Subsequently, the groups present their results and a debate is generated to reach a general consensus.

Next, the team must identify existing/ongoing initiatives, programmes, projects or instruments linked to each project. This exercise is important, in order to align and not duplicate resources, capacities and lessons, and create synergies between them Then, the workshop participants propose which stakeholders will be in charge of the implementation of each project. For this purpose, a matrix can be printed out that includes the list of projects with two columns next to it: one to add the main responsible instance and the other one for co-responsible instance(s). The aim is to generate discussion, consensus and commitment of the parties involved; and to ensure the implementation and monitoring of projects. It is therefore important to facilitate the participation of all those present. It should be a momentum to reflect upon the effects and benefits that each project can have on the city and how it responds to the challenges identified in the diagnosis; as well as to visualise and foresee the process of execution and implementation of each project. 

Steps
  1. Prepare the workshop and required materials using the T7 Workshop Checklist and T45 Participatory Prioritisation Guide.
  2. Invite participants to prioritise the projects, either by assigning a score to each one or by placing them on a priority axis, from lowest to highest.
  3. Each group will present their results and a discussion will take place with the results to reach a consensus.
  4. Identify initiatives, projects and/or programmes that may be related to each project, whether led by the municipal or central government, civil society, academia, private sector, etc. 
  5. For each project, identify a lead and co-responsible body(ies), generating consensus and commitment from the actors involved.
  6. Systematise the information (technical equipment) to be used as input for the next technical prioritisation activity, as the strategic projects list.