Informal mechanisms of public participation in the development of small and medium-sized cities in Russia’s European North: A case study of nonprofit organizations and urban internet communities

This article explores the informal public participation in the development of small and medium-sized cities in the European North of Russia. It focuses on two main aspects: the impact of nonprofit organizations (NGOs) and the activity of residents on social networks, particularly in discussions and solutions to local socio-economic issues. The study reveals that NGO activities create significant opportunities for addressing local concerns raised by residents to municipal authorities. An analysis of the official pages of local governments on the VKontakte social network shows that, compared to larger cities, residents of these smaller cities are more engaged in dialogue with local authorities, demonstrate higher loyalty to published content, and actively share information of interest. The research also finds that while residents of small and medium-sized cities actively discuss urban problems in informal online communities and participate in various kinds of socially beneficial events, their participation is generally prompted by external organizers. The level of self-organization to address broader citywide problems remains relatively low. However, when dealing with personal household matters, citizens actively communicate through urban online communities. The study also highlights a high level of trust among residents, as evidenced by their strong response to calls for help in the comments. The scientific novelty of this research lies in its first-time analysis of public participation and the assessment of resident involvement in the management and development processes of small and medium-sized cities, through mechanisms such as NGOs and urban Internet communities.