Participatory networks for place safety and livability: organisational success factors

Abstract: This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where citizens actively cooperate with an organisation (typically but not necessarily a public administration) to enhance the livability of their urban or rural environment. We have called these systems ‘citizens to problem-solving organisation (C2PSO) networks’ and argue that they are set to play a role of growing importance in some of the emerging urban and rural livability challenges. The authors present three different explorative case studies that focus on health, safety, independent living for the elderly, and mobility as indicators of place livability. The recurrent organisational factors identified in the case studies translate into key elements of success, the analysis of which highlighted three novel constructs as possible antecedents of improved livability in the living settings of C2PSO networks. The proposed constructs describe the organisational effectiveness of the network and the sustainability of the cooperative processes involved, and, in the authors’ opinion, are a useful complement to the extant literature. For each novel construct, a quantitative measurement scale for survey questionnaires is developed and then discussed with experts for face validity. The paper closes with the description and discussion of a testable cause-effect model before presenting the authors’ conclusions.