LED 2016 Group A Landscape Democracy Challenge 1
Montebello asylum shelter
| Place name | Montebello | |
| Location | Oslo | |
| Country | Norway | |
| Author(s) | Pirjetta Fagerli | |
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Rationale: Why have you chosen this case for the landscape and democracy seminar?
I have chosen this case because of the relevant problem that touches most of Europe today. Asylum centers are everywhere and placing them is a tough job because of the resistance from some of the people who already live in that area. This is an interesting case because the citizen resistance was especially strong in Montebello, Oslo. This is a good example of a case where the residents were very engaged in the situation and used their right to speak up. The situation was also a frustrating one because the citizens felt that they were not informed enough of the plans and the planners felt that the citizens were being difficult and not understanding enough. This is also interesting because Montebello is situated in one of the statistically wealthier areas in Oslo. I am writing in the past tense because the plans were cancelled.
Representation of your observations
- you are basically free to use one or a mix of different presentation techniques
- possibilities are: analytical drawings, graphical representations, collages, video clips, comic/graphic novel, written essay/visual essay
- please add any visual material to the gallery, videos can be placed below, you may add text as you like
case representation
case representation
- Yourfilename3.jpg
case representation
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case representation
Reflection
What are the major challenges for changing the situation?
Hypothetically if one could change the situation, there would be some challenges. One challenge is that it is very hard to change peoples prejudice. It is hard to assure to someone that this is safe when they have already decided otherwise. The fear of the unknown is a hard nut to crack. Another challenge was lack of proper communication from both sides. There was much debate without openness to hear what the other side is saying. There were many unanswered questions and many unheard answers. Some of the meetings with the residents were not well planned and the atmosphere was hostile.
What could be a starting point for democractically-based change?
A good starting point would be to include the residents from the beginning. There was a lot of insecurity about the scale of the project so the planners could have been more clear about those aspects. Well prepared information meetings with sturdy facts and studies could have helped to change some minds. There is also some positive aspects to this kind of change and one could have highlighted these positive aspects. Maybe there could have been some meetings between the residents and some asylum seekers in order to dilute any prejudice. One could have presented more from asylum seekers perspective so that the residents could relate slightly more to this serious journey that they have to go through.
References
- "UDI vraker planene om asylmottak på Montebello", Osloby Nyheter, CHRISTIAN SØRGJERD, ANDREAS BAKKE FOSS, PUBLISERT: 23.FEB. 2016 22:02
- "Vil bosette 1000 asylsøkere midt mellom villaene på Montebello", Osloby Nyheter, OLAV EGGESVIK, PUBLISERT: 01.DES. 2015 18:12
- ...
- Please make sure that you give proper references of all external resources used.
- Do not use any images of which you do not hold the copyright.
- Please add internet links to other resources if necessary.
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