On September 1, Rustavi hosted the opening of the Rustavi Municipal Service Center (RMSC), marking the culmination of the transformative journey and collaborative efforts between the Rustavi City Hall and the USAID Local Governance Program. This achievement represents a significant milestone towards enhancing inclusivity and the accessibility of local government services for all residents in the city.
Designed to ease the life of all citizens, RMSC is an innovative model on a local level, as it’s the first to offer multiple municipal services in one, modern space. The Center is part of municipal service delivery reforms initiated by Rustavi City Hall and will serve as a single point of contact for citizens to deliver more than 200 municipal services including administrative, architecture, inspection, property, economic, employment, and social services. The Center can serve as a good example for promoting a citizen-centered governance approach in other municipalities.
“Georgia is recognized world-wide for its advanced service delivery models,” said Juniper Neil, Acting Mission Director, USAID Georgia. “Public Service Halls across the country provide a single venue for citizens to obtain central government services and information, but this good practice has until now not been adopted at the municipal level. USAID is very grateful to have been a small part of this important work through the targeted assistance offered to the Mayor and her outstanding team. Congratulations to the Mayor of Rustavi and Rustavi City Hall for their leadership in introducing this one-stop-shop model at the local level, which will enable Rustavi residents with easy access to more than 200 municipal services.”
As part of the USAID Local Governance Program’s assistance to Rustavi City, special attention was placed on ensuring complete accessibility of the Center for people with special needs. The Program assisted City Hall to undertake critical steps to ensure that the center is fully accommodating individuals with visual impairments. This involved conducting a Screening Mission and an Adaptation Workshop, where the perspectives and insights of blind and visually impaired individuals played a central role in shaping the center’s accessibility plan.
Screening Mission: Assessing the Environment
The USAID Local Governance Program Team supported municipal staff in conducting an initial assessment of the building’s environment and its surroundings, and to identify potential areas where tactile paving could be incorporated to enhance accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. This mission set the foundation for future adaptations to be made to the center, with a keen focus on creating an environment that meets the needs of individuals with visual impairments.
Adaptation Workshop: Empowering Persons with Disabilities as Co-designers
On July 26, 2023, an inclusive Adaptation Workshop took place, following ‘human-centered design-thinking’ principles ensuring that blind and visually impaired individuals were at the heart of the decision-making process. Participants included a diverse group of persons with disabilities, totaling eight individuals with varied types of visual impairments, accompanied by their care givers.
During the workshop, these individuals assessed the accessibility of the RMSC building and
provided valuable insights into how the center’s internal floor planning could be improved to enable smooth navigation for persons with disabilities. The Program team helped to ensure that every participant’s voice was heard and valued. The experience and specific needs of persons with disabilities guided the discussions, throughout the ‘customer journey mapping’ exercise, enabling participants to freely express their challenges and preferences as they walked throughout the center along the predefined pathways. By creating a safe and inclusive space, the Program Team supported Rustavi and the City Hall in advancing its citizen-centered governance objectives.
Experiencing Empathy: Understanding the Challenges
To facilitate better understanding and empathy among participants, relevant human-centered design methodologies and tools were employed to simulate the experience of visual impairments. By immersing themselves in the shoes of the visually impaired, individuals gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced during navigation. This exercise further emphasized the importance of creating an inclusive environment that accommodates the diverse needs of all citizens.
Impact and Future Plans
The unique feedback collected from the Adaptation Workshop served as a basis for development of the RMSC tactile paving plan. This plan is considered a blueprint for the installation of tiles in the building, ensuring that persons with disabilities can navigate the center confidently, independently, and without barriers. This not only enhances their overall experience but also promotes a sense of autonomy and equality within the community.
“The Municipal Service Center will serve as one of the first subnational public places, consolidating all municipal services under one roof for the convenience of Rustavi’s residents. This Center is set to transform how citizens engage with local government services, streamlining the process and making it more efficient, thereby saving valuable time for our community members. We truly appreciate the support extended by the United States Government and the USAID Local Governance Program throughout the Center’s development. Their contributions span equipment provision, employee training, and overall conceptual guidance. We hope to undertake numerous successful collaborations of this type in the future.” Nino Latsabidze, the Mayor of Rustavi City.
By incorporating the perspectives of blind and visually impaired individuals, Rustavi City Hall is taking proactive steps towards building an inclusive service delivery ecosystem and is setting a powerful example for inclusivity in municipal service delivery. This will in turn be leveraged by the USAID Local Governance Program as it advances its efforts towards supporting other partner municipalities embarking on a similar journey toward inclusive service delivery. Through peer-to-peer exchanges and knowledge sharing events with the active participation of Rustavi municipality as a peer leader, the Program will inspire and empower other communities to take proactive steps towards building a society where every citizen is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their abilities.
By taking incremental steps and generating small wins toward creating a network of inclusive municipalities, the Program seeks to promote a culture of accessibility and inclusivity that extends far beyond a single municipality’s borders.
About the USAID Local Governance Program
The United States and the American People stand firmly behind Georgia and its citizens, offering steadfast support to further advance its democratic governance systems. To achieve this goal, the USAID Local Governance Program was initiated. The five-year program aims to strengthen local communities and increase the quality of their life, by strengthening subnational governance systems and improving the delivery of inclusive and citizen-centered public services at the subnational level. The Program brings together central government and local government representatives to work with civil society and the private sector to achieve the goals of Georgia’s decentralization reform. It strengthens accountability across the local governance ecosystem and supports central-level institutions to manage the implementation of decentralization and public administration reform. Through the program, USAID will provide support to at least 22 municipalities and include others in learning, exchange, and outreach activities.
