Rotterdamlezing celebrates the power of citizen collectives

In the Rotterdamlezing (Rotterdam lecture), Erasmus University Rotterdam connects the city with the university by transferring knowledge about social challenges. Professor Tine De Moor researches citizen collectives from all sectors; from energy to housing and from food to healthcare. Through a historical context, she showed what we can learn from the predecessors of these organizations and what their value is. She said the current mutual distrust between government and citizens is difficult to resolve. But besides showing policy makers what is needed in a neighbourhood, and sometimes even leading to legislation, there is another positive effect that can be attributed to citizen collectives.

“Members of citizen collectives experience grip on their lives as a result,” she says, based on research-based data supplied by members of her knowledge platform CollectieveKracht. “People experience more control over the living environment and ownership over decision-making. It is known that a sense of grip reduces social discomfort.” She added that many of the citizen collectives in Rotterdam target lower income categories and provide solutions in the social sector.

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