The Impact of Web-Based Media on Evolution of Participatory Urban Planning and E-Democracy in Poland

The article examines the relationship between the use of Web-based media and the emergence of social movements focused on urban agenda in Poland. The authors’ aim is to investigate how and to what extent a growing body of smaller activist groups use opportunities provided by the Internet to achieve their political objectives. The authors’ research results indicate that electronic media have helped to raise the profile of local initiatives and increased awareness of systemic urban issues between different groups of grass-root actors. The findings of the article are based on the analysis of the Congress of Urban Movements (Kongres Ruchów Miejskich), a broad coalition of smaller non-governmental organizations and bottom-up activist groups, which use Internet-based tools to network. The results indicate that the Web-based tools increase the members’ ability to connect and interact, consequently improving the ability to coordinate joint initiatives and expand real-life social networks.