A workshop with focus groups was held at the Technical Faculty in Bor as part of the MINIPART project – Improving Public Participation in Spatial Planning of Mining Areas, funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia through the PRISMA program.
The event involved work in six groups representing segments of the population whose needs are generally not specifically considered in spatial and urban planning processes: women, youth, persons with disabilities, rural residents, ethnic minorities, and elderly people.
The aim of the workshop was to test the methods developed within the MINIPART application, as well as to discuss and compare digital and analog methods of public participation. Participants first reflected individually and then jointly on how these methods could be improved to better reflect the needs of the population and encourage broader public involvement in decision-making processes.
The MINIPART project team organized the event and provided professional facilitation for each of the six focus groups, which were moderated by two moderators each. Moderators included team members: Dr Tamara Maričić, Dr Marijana Pantić, Prof. Dr Milena Toković, Prof. Dr Milovan Vuković, and MA Dušanka Milosavljević, as well as external project collaborator Prof. Dr Ana Perić. Students from the University of Belgrade also took part, representing the Faculty of Geography, Faculty of Philosophy, and Faculty of Architecture: MA Stefan Zdravković, MA Sandra Vukašinović, MA Vladimir Popović, MA Marko Petrović, MA Matija Mitrović, and Danica Stojanović.
The workshop gathered 26 participants and was organized as a full-day activity. Written and audio materials were collected and will be analyzed during the upcoming phases of the project.
On this occasion, members of the MINIPART team also visited the Dean of the Technical Faculty in Bor, Prof. Dr Dejan Taničić, as well as the faculty’s technical service, with whom they had previously communicated by phone and email to ensure the successful implementation of project activities.
The research was conducted with the support of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, project number 7598, MINIPART.