Omaehtoista osallistumista : Tapaustutkimus Kallio-liikkeestä 2000-luvun kaupunginosatoimintana

This paper addresses the issue of participation through neighbourhood-based organisation. Although neighbourhood-based organisations have long traditions in Finland the development of participation culture has created new opportunities to engage in civic activity. The purpose of the study is to describe characteristics of Kallio-liike, which is a new organisation in Kallio area in Helsinki. The study focuses on how activity is organised and what the main purposes and means of organization are. In addition, the ways in which collective action arises from local context are examined. The data consists of seven thematic interviews with activists of Kallio-liike. Interviewees were selected carefully in order to get as broad a view of the activity of Kallio-liike as possible. The study is based on qualitative research methods. Content analysis is used for processing and organizing the data. The field of participation is extensive. Participation in urban planning and decision making is realized through both formal and informal methods. Neighbourhood-based organisations are understood as a way of independent participation which can be studied as place-based activism. As a collective action, in a neighbourhood-based organisation the sense of community as well as common means and ends are linked to the expressions of urban space. There are divergent opinions about the role of community organisation in society. However, its contribution to the formation of civic society is generally acknowledged. The purpose of the participation in urban planning and decision making is not straightforward. Indeed, critical debate on the planning theory has led to changed conceptions of the purpose of participation. The emergence of Kallio-liike is linked to an eviction order which was directed at a food and clothes distribution point located in Kallio neighbourhood. The order provoked wide discussion in the media and divergent opinions about the development of the neighbourhood and urban space were expressed. These differing viewpoints were used to encourage citizens to join Kallio-liike's activity. Sense of community among Kallio-liike's activists was based on the idea of an open and inclusive urban space. The need for new neighbourhood-based organisation was justified by the requirement for an alternative agent for the local scale. Kallio-liike is an informally organised civic activity network organised around a public Facebook profile. Even though the unity of the Kallio-liike is elusive, claims for the urban space and a carnivalistic style are common features shared by all Kallio-liike's activity. Activity is based on voluntary work and its success is largely dependent on networks, sensible use of communication technology and feasible models of events. The purpose of Kallio-liike is to reinforce the sense of community in the area and to create better opportunities for independent civic activity at a local scale. Various events have a central role in the activity of Kallio-liike. Firstly, events bring citizens together in a natural way and encourage sociability, and secondly, they function as a means of political communication. Research results show that Kallio-liike reflects characteristics that are typical for the mobilisation of collective action in the 21th century. In addition, the study reinforces the conception of internet as a useful tool in the creation and execution processes of civic activity. What is more, it is suggested that neighbourhood-based activity has more potential than previously thought. Finally, this study highlights citizens' motivation for participation and this raises the question about the meaning of independent participation as a part of urban planning.