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A participatory process is a sequence of participatory activities (e.g. first filling out a survey, then making proposals, discussing them in face-to-face or virtual meetings, and finally prioritizing them) with the aim of defining and making a decision on a specific topic.
Examples of participatory processes are: a process of electing committee members (where candidatures are first presented, then debated and finally a candidacy is chosen), participatory budgets (where proposals are made, valued economically and voted on with the money available), a strategic planning process, the collaborative drafting of a regulation or norm, the design of an urban space or the production of a public policy plan.
Safe(r) Spaces: An Overview
A practical introduction to designing inclusive, accountable and harm-reducing democratic participation spaces
About this process
An introduction to the Safe(r) Spaces framework developed within the INSPIRE project, offering practical guidance for designing, facilitating and evaluating inclusive digital and hybrid participatory spaces.
Safe(r) spaces are relational and negotiated environments that support more inclusive, accountable and harm-reducing forms of civic and democratic participation. They do not promise absolute safety, but aim to reduce the likelihood and impact of harm, while making responses to harm intentional, supported and transparent. The approach recognises that participation is shaped by power, identity, accessibility, governance, time, care and accountability. It invites organisers, facilitators, public institutions, civil society organisations, researchers and digital participation practitioners to reflect on how participation is designed, who is included or excluded, and how people’s contributions can have meaningful influence.
The framework is organised around eight core conditions that support safer participatory spaces. These conditions are not a checklist, but a practical architecture for designing and sustaining more inclusive democratic processes before, during and after participation.
Grounded in the INSPIRE project and its pilots across diverse European contexts, this overview invites participants to explore how safe(r) spaces can be created, adapted and sustained in practice.
Reference: inspire-PART-2026-06-22