What better way to explore civic activism and community action than by creating practical opportunities for people to engage with their neighbours and wider communities? An ambitious programme being led by the RSA in partnership with Peterborough City Council and Arts Council England is putting action research at the heart of its exploration of what it is calling ‘citizen power.’ The project is interested in whether a renewal of civic activism and community action contributes to improved connections between people, more local participation, and innovation in public service design.

Seven projects are being rolled out in Peterborough under the umbrella of Citizen Power Peterborough.  Each project has a different focus: climate change, addiction and recovery; the arts; education and local history; social media; the creation of spaces for local debate and activism; and civic health. In different ways, these projects are exploring how people in Peterborough can live more sustainably, be more connected to one another, and more involved in making decisions that affect their city and their lives.

As Programme Head Sam McLean wrote in The Guardian earlier this month, international examples of citizen power and innovation in public service – from legislative theatre in Brazil to pledgebanking in the UK – give reason to be hopeful in times of government cuts to public service spending.