The Assises de Proximité* is an initiative by the Mayor of Nice, which found its first application in a public meeting attended by elected officials and municipal leaders, as well as actors and participants, all committed in various ways to the city’s social life. In a lengthy monologue, Christian Estrosi presented the results of the initiative and highlighted its contribution to city policy.
While the contents of the requests and recommendations quite banally reflect the logic of things (Who can be against doing it well or doing it better?), the interest and value of the initiative lie in the method: participatory democracy.
Indeed, the “citizen knowledge” is a tremendous asset to move from emotional thinking (which is none other than each person’s particular interest) to associative thinking (which takes into account the general interest).
And how can we not understand that “usage knowledge,” for instance, enriches the technical expertise of experts because: “It’s the person who wears the shoe who knows best if it hurts and where it hurts, even if the shoemaker is the expert and the best judge on how to fix it,” as humanist philosopher John Dewey once said.
Finally, participatory democracy corresponds to the formation of an informed opinion, based on sufficient information, and lays the foundation in politics for the very notion of democracy: the recognition for all citizens of an equal dignity of principle.
Having said that, it is also evident that Christian Estrosi’s initiative is not without personal and utilitarian aim. But, instead of lingering on deciding whether a bottle is half empty or half full, wouldn’t it be wiser to see that it’s simply half filled?
For Christian Estrosi: “Proximity is a big word that means everything, but for me it mostly represents values: attention to others, permanence of dialogue and listening, moments of sharing, so that the community is capable of providing suitable answers for each neighborhood.
In January last year, right here, in front of you, I launched a broad consultation through the ‘Assises de la Proximité.’ Today, I present to you the results of this work.”
To continue: “A booklet° containing the 100 responses that I am providing to your proposals.”
Beyond this document, as illustrations and examples, here are 10 of these proposals that bear witness to it.
Proposition No. 1: Continue enhancing the heritage
Proposition No. 2: Coordinate the events and federate commerce in our city
Proposition No. 3: Develop waste management
Proposition No. 4: Continue and enhance the municipality’s action in favor of people with disabilities
Proposition No. 5: Continue assistance to victims°°
Proposition No. 6: Create the City of Nice’s volunteer medal
Proposition No. 7: Develop community life and harmonize the operation of activity sites
Proposition No. 8: Promote parking options
Proposition No. 9: Make the Municipal Police a force serving public tranquility
Proposition No. 10: Bring municipal action closer to local authorities °°°
The conclusion of the Mayor of Nice: “I invite you to meet again in January 2013 for the New Year’s greetings, where I will have the opportunity to visit each of your neighborhoods.”
The election campaign can begin…
