Citizen participation in post-conflict urban contexts (ECE1.6)
Section outline
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Welcome to Citizen Participation in Post-Conflict Urban Contexts! This micro-course invites you to explore one of the most pressing challenges facing divided cities today: how can citizens genuinely shape the places they live in, rather than simply being consulted as a formality? Drawing on Arnstein's Ladder of Participation and real examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina, you will learn to distinguish among manipulation, tokenism, and genuine empowerment in participatory processes. This course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline, as well as early-career professionals in urban planning, architecture, sociology, local policy, or civil society who are beginning to work with participatory methods. No prior knowledge of participation theory is required. Through short video lectures, case studies, interactive exercises, and guided reflection, you will build practical soft skills essential for ethical, inclusive community engagement.
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This course was designed by Isra Tatlic and Jelena Gakovic from University of Sarajevo.
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Course content
This course is founded on an interdisciplinary theoretical framework that combines urban studies, architecture, participatory design, political science, sociology, and post-conflict studies. It explores citizen participation not only as a democratic ideal but also as a contested practice influenced by social, political, and spatial dynamics in post-conflict contexts. This integrated framework emphasizes design and project-based thinking as essential to participatory practice, motivating students to convert theoretical insights into practical, context-aware, and socially responsive urban interventions that promote reconciliation, inclusion, and sustainable city-making.
Learning pathway
The Moodle campus for Citizen Participation in Post-Conflict Urban Contexts is structured in three main sections — Introduction, Content, and Conclusion — to guide you through a clear and consistent learning journey. After reviewing the introductory materials (welcome message, course description, and syllabus), you should follow the Learning Pathway by progressing sequentially through Units 1 to 5, each of which includes a mini-lecture or micro-video, a case study or interactive exercise, and a short reflection prompt. All core content and activities within these units are compulsory. They must be completed in the given order to ensure understanding and progression, while any "extra materials" are clearly marked as optional and not required for course completion. Intermediate results, such as quiz scores or activity feedback, are available within each unit, allowing you to track your progress continuously. Upon completing all five units, you will be asked to take a short content quiz, provide your personal details for your completion certificate and fill out a short feedback form. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: distinguish manipulation, tokenism, and genuine empowerment using Arnstein's Ladder of Participation; analyze quasi-participation and power dynamics in cases from Bosnia and Herzegovina; evaluate ethical responsibilities when engaging divided post-conflict communities; analyze the facilitator's role in managing power dynamics and fostering inclusion; and reflect critically on their own positionality and biases as facilitators.
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This unit introduces the course and situates citizen participation within the post-conflict context of Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the end of this unit, you will understand the scope and purpose of the course and be able to explain why citizen participation matters in cities recovering from conflict. The unit consists of two short micro-videos and a self-check quiz, and should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
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A brief overview of what this course covers, framed around a single goal: preventing pseudo-participation in post-conflict urban contexts.
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Five reasons why the stakes and risks of citizen participation are higher in cities recovering from conflict than in stable democracies.
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A short wrap-up of Unit 1, connecting the course scope with the five reasons participation carries higher stakes in post-conflict cities.
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A short self-check on what you've just learned — course scope, the BiH context, and why participation carries higher stakes in post-conflict cities.
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This unit introduces Arnstein's Ladder of Participation as a framework for understanding different degrees of citizen power in participatory processes. By the end of this unit, you will be able to distinguish manipulation, tokenism, and citizen control, and recognize and analyze quasi-participation and power dynamics in selected cases from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The unit includes a mini-lecture, a concept spotlight, a case study analysis, an interactive placement task, and a reflection prompt and should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.
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An introduction to Arnstein's Ladder of Participation - a framework for understanding the different degrees of citizen power in participatory processes, from manipulation to full citizen control.
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Click on the link above to take a closer look at three commonly confused terms on Arnstein's Ladder—manipulation, tokenism, and citizen control—with practical warning signs to recognize each in real-world participatory processes, including examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Read the process and data from a real 2025 participatory studio in Čengić Vila, Sarajevo — then decide where it sits on Arnstein's Ladder before the answer is revealed in the quiz below.
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A short personal reflection connecting Arnstein's Ladder to your own experience — before moving on to Unit 3.
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This unit explores the ethical responsibilities of facilitating citizen participation in divided, post-conflict communities, as well as the moderator's role in managing these processes. By the end of this unit, you will be able to identify and evaluate ethical responsibilities when engaging with divided communities and understand the moderator's role in navigating ethical dilemmas. The unit includes a mini-lecture, an interactive ethical dilemma exercise (via Mentimeter), and a reflection prompt and should take approximately 35 minutes to complete.
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Please read these lecture notes.
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Please take some time to think — in key words, for yourself — on the following:
In one word, what is the single biggest ethical dilemma for a moderator in a post-conflict urban planning session with citizen participation?
Write 10 to 15 single-word associations that represent key ethical dilemmas faced by a moderator during public consultations on post-conflict urban redevelopment. A preview of the Mentimeter word cloud with example submissions is provided below:
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Summarise the expected learning outcomes of the section and explain how it relates to the next one.
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This unit focuses on reflexive practice — understanding how your own identity, biases, and social position shape your role as a facilitator. By the end of this unit, you will be able to reflect critically on your own positionality within Bosnia and Herzegovina's civic and stakeholder context and recognize how this shapes your approach to community engagement. The unit includes a mini-lecture and a guided reflection exercise and should take approximately 25 minutes to complete.
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This final unit consolidates the key concepts covered throughout the course and points you toward further learning opportunities. By the end of this unit, you will have checked your understanding of the course's key learnings and gained an overview of Tier 2 resources for continued engagement with participatory practice. The unit consists of a final quiz and a preview of Tier 2 resources and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
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[sample paragraph, please adapt as you see fit]
In this final section, you are invited to reflect on the key knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course, revisiting the main learning outcomes and how they contribute to effective community engagement. You can consult your performance and progress via the Moodle gradebook, where all results from quizzes and activities are compiled. Once you have successfully completed all compulsory components, you will be able to download your attendance certificate directly from this section. To continue your learning journey, you are encouraged to explore further readings and additional resources provided, as well as to enrol in other courses from the EUPeace soft skills offer. You may also consider engaging with broader EUPeace initiatives, such as the European Track, the Virtual Exchange and Engagement Programmes (VEEPs), or the teacher training courses, with links provided to the relevant sections of the EUPeace website for easy access.