Comprometimento cidadão e inovações sociais: contribuições para o desenvolvimento urbano sustentável

Abstract

The contemporary global landscape poses significant challenges to sustainable urban development. With more than half of the world's population living in urban areas - and projections indicating this figure may rise to 70% by 2050,the environmental and social impacts of urbanization are intensifying. On the other hand, isolated regulatory and technological measures have proven insufficient to address the complex environmental and social issues of urban contexts. The theme is complex because the city, understood as a social and spatial organization, combines collective, individual, and cultural dynamics that shape and sustain its local identity. In this context, citizen commitment becomes an essential factor, as it strengthens participatory processes, expands social mobilization capacity, and legitimizes public policies aimed at urban sustainability. Social innovation, in turn, emerges as a strategic element to foster structural change, mobilizing diverse actors around collective solutions. This research aimed to analyze how citizen commitment to social innovation initiatives contributes to sustainable urban development. A citizen science approach, combined with a mixed-methods design, was employed, structured in a sequential explanatory strategy that involved the active participation of Caxias do Sul inhabitants throughout all stages of the study. Data collection and analysis were organized into phases. In Phase 0, a systematic mapping of 56 social innovation initiatives was conducted, encompassing civil society organizations, collectives, social movements, startups, and university and business projects. In Phase 1, 446 responses were collected from a survey applied to citizens engaged in these initiatives, using an adapted scale of citizen commitment. In Phase 2, follow-up participants were selected for the qualitative stage of the study, which included focus groups that enabled a deeper understanding of motivations, perceptions, and obstacles to participation in social innovation for sustainable urban development. Finally, Phase 3 integrated the collected data, proposing a model that connects citizen commitment and social innovation as fundamental components in fostering sustainable urban development. The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings revealed a predominantly affective commitment profile in Caxias do Sul, with emphasis on belonging and personal meaning attributed to the city, low normative adherence, and an intermediate instrumental level. The mapping highlighted a plural ecosystem, intensive in networks and exchanges and characterized by diffuse community empowerment, though fragile in articulating sustainability challenges and measuring impact. The mixed-methods analysis supported the proposed theoretical model: citizen commitment to participation in social innovation to sustainable urban development, mediated by courses of action (planning, partnerships, and metrics) that channel affect into collective outcomes. Empirically, the findings provide insights into local governments, universities, and civil society in designing public policies and engagement practices, reinforcing strategies fostering belonging and collective identity are more effective than normative appeals or instrumental incentives. Furthermore, citizen science proved to be a promising method of knowledge co-production, enhancing social legitimacy and offering valuable inputs to monitor sustainability indicators and support the Sustainable Development Goals. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]