The Tartu Climate Assembly made 66 proposals on street safety and healthiness
Tartu Linnavalitsuse ja Rohetiigri pressiteade
13 May / Tartu’s first Climate Assembly – in which 45 randomly selected residents of Tartu participated – submitted 66 proposals to the Tartu City Government on how to make the streets of Tartu safer and healthier, reduce noise and air pollution caused by traffic in the urban space, and shape a more climate-friendly future.
In its proposals, the Climate Assembly prioritised the creation of a dedicated space for all road users, the use of automobile traffic calming and road traffic calming elements on more roads, the preservation and development of vibrant urban nature, including the preservation of existing green spaces and landscaping, and prioritising the maintenance of cycle tracks and pavements in road maintenance. The proposals can be found here: www.tartu.ee/kliimakogu#ettepanekud
According to Deputy Mayor of Tartu Gea Kangilaski, the proposals made by the Climate Assembly paint a pretty good picture of the future expectations of the citizens of Tartu. ‘The issues that the city has itself prioritised were strongly highlighted, which is why I believe that this is another impetus for ambitious change, both in terms of creating a space for all road users and calming traffic, but also more generally in terms of preserving a vibrant natural and urban environment. The City Government will now take time to examine the proposals and analyse the feasibility and timing of their implementation.’ The City Government will provide feedback in June on the implementation of the Climate Assembly proposals.
Teele Pehk and Maiu Lauring, the leaders of the Green Tiger voluntary sector and the individuals responsible for brining the Climate Assembly to Estonia, are delighted with the commitment of mini-Tartu. ‘We also proved internationally that a good atmosphere for discussions and moderators experienced in co-creation can motivate 45 people to make an effort in the name of their living environment over two weekends. Now it is up to the City Government and implementation to ensure that these enthusiastic participants remain climate ambassadors.’
A total of 45 randomly selected Tartu residents participated in Tartu’s first Climate Assembly, representing a cross-section of Tartu’s population, taking into account gender, age, place of residence, occupation, and mother tongue. Invitations to the Climate Assembly were sent to around 15,000 Tartu residents. Compared to the population of Tartu, women between the ages of 30–44, people from households with children under the age of 18, and people with higher education were more prominently represented among the decision-makers of the Climate Assembly. This gave the organisers food for thought on how to get more men, young and old people, and people with a lower level of education to actually get more involved and express their preferences.
Climate Assembly members attended a total of six meetings in April and May, during which urban space experts and various stakeholders shared their knowledge, engaged in meaningful group discussions, both independently and under the guidance of discussion leaders, and finally formulated proposals that were voted on.
The Climate Assembly, which is being implemented in Tartu for the first time, is a novel co-creation format that is used around the world to speed up environmental decisions at both the local and national level.
The Climate Assembly was organised by the Tartu City Government, together with Green Tiger and Miltton.
Slides and recordings of the presentations can be found on the Climate Assembly website www.tartu.ee/kliimakogu#programm
Photos from the Climate Assembly meetings: https://www.tartu.ee/pilv/s/G8KJfehd0GN044q
Last changed 13.05.2022
