Confronting Crises: A Call for Radical Conversion

Amidst escalating crises that threaten societal well-being, the radical left movement in Dijon is advocating for a fundamental shift in urban living. Their vision centers on building collective resilience through a planned transition towards energy and material sobriety. This initiative aims to proactively address potential resource scarcity, wich, if unmanaged, could disproportionately impact the most vulnerable populations.

the movement emphasizes the urgent need for a radical transformation of the city,embracing sobriety,social justice,open democracy,and demetropolization. This transformation, they argue, requires the active involvement and commitment of residents, empowering them to shape the future of their city.

Dijon Avenir: A Citizen Forum for Collaborative Solutions

In Fall 2024, the Dijon Avenir Citizen Forum was launched to foster collaboration between residents and local stakeholders. The forum’s initial phase focused on identifying risks, exploring solutions proposed by local actors, and understanding the needs and aspirations of the community. This inclusive approach aimed to gather diverse perspectives and lay the groundwork for a shared vision.

The forum then moved towards developing a vision for Dijon in 2050, followed by the co-construction of a resilience and sobriety project. This collaborative effort seeks to involve residents and local actors in shaping a sustainable future for the city.

Challenging the Status Quo: A Citizen List for municipal Elections

The movement criticizes current local public policies as “extractivist, productivist, and techno-solutionist,” arguing that they lead to an unsustainable path. To enact meaningful change, they plan to present a citizen list in the 2026 municipal elections. Winning these elections would enable them to implement their resilience project through a “citizen mandate,” ensuring broad participation from residents and local actors.

Their proposed governance model includes citizen agreements to build consensus on major transformation axes, a citizen and popular assembly to empower residents with initiative rights, and “citizen control” to delegate autonomous management of public resources to community groups. This approach aims to decentralize power and foster community ownership.

Joining Forces: The “Common Actions” Network

Dijon Avenir has aligned with the national “common actions” network, a collective of participatory municipalities and groups dedicated to revitalizing democracy at the local level. This network focuses on empowering residents,fostering collective discussion,and renewing political practices to build a society that respects both people and the habitat.

This collaboration highlights a growing trend of citizen-led movements seeking to reshape local governance and address pressing social and environmental challenges. Similar movements are gaining traction across France and Europe, reflecting a broader desire for more participatory and responsive forms of democracy.

A two-Pronged Strategy for Change

Dijon Avenir is pursuing a two-step strategy to maximize its impact. First, through the Citizen Forum, they aim to broaden the debate on the city’s future by engaging residents and local actors in finding solutions. Second, the citizen list will serve as a platform to unite the citizen movement, local stakeholders, and political organizations within the “social-ecological arc,” with the goal of winning the 2026 municipal elections.

Film debate: “la République de Saillans”

To engage the community and foster dialog, Dijon Avenir is organizing a screening of the film La République de Saillans on April 15th at the Eldorado cinema. The film showcases the experience of Saillans, a commune in the Drôme region where citizens entrusted the town hall to a list that proposed power-sharing between elected officials and residents.

Following the screening, a debate will explore local participation and the potential of citizen lists to empower communities to shape their future. This event aims to inspire and inform residents about alternative models of governance and encourage active participation in the upcoming municipal elections.

The event details are as follows:

• Film: La République de Saillans
• Date: April 15
• Time: 8:00 PM
• Location: Eldorado cinema