In present there is a certain perception along free time of the young. Messenger, internet and television are the new recreation and amusement ways that favourises sedentary life, in the detriment of tourism and fresh air walks. The counteract of the phenomenon can be materialized through social innovation principles, concepts that suppose a new vision upon sustainable development of local communities. The elaboration of Suceava city development strategy has to take into account the potential problems of the community. The green spaces that are insufficient and the complete detach of the young from nature can be the strategic points of the new strategy. This work wants to offer possible solutions regarding sedentary life problems of the "Messenger Generation" and the lack of green entertainment areas.social innovation, development strategies, local authorities, Messenger Generation, Active Park

Hapenciuc Cristian Valentin

Nastase Carmen

Stanciu Pavel

English

Research Papers in Economics

603 
SOCIAL INNOVATION – MODERN INSTRUMENT FOR SOLVING 
THE PROBLEMS OF LOCAL COMUNITIES 
Stanciu Pavel  
"￿tefan  cel  Mare"  University  of  Suceava,  Faculty  of  Economics  and  Public  Administration, 
Universit￿￿ii Street, no. 9, 720225, Suceava, Romania, pavels@seap.usv.ro, phone 0740139782 
Hapenciuc Cristian Valentin  
"￿tefan  cel  Mare"  University  of  Suceava,  Faculty  of  Economics  and  Public  Administration, 
Universit￿￿ii Street, no. 9, 720225, Suceava, Romania, expresedinte@yahoo.com, phone 0744156467 
N￿stase Carmen  
"￿tefan  cel  Mare"  University  of  Suceava,  Faculty  of  Economics  and  Public  Administration, 
Universit￿￿ii Street, no. 9, 720225, Suceava, Romania,carmenn@seap.usv.ro, phone 0740043099 
 
In present there is a certain perception along free time of the young. Messenger, internet and television are 
the new recreation and amusement ways that favourises sedentary life, in the detriment of tourism and 
fresh air walks.  
The counteract of the phenomenon can be materialized through social innovation principles, concepts that 
suppose a new vision upon sustainable development of local communities.  
The elaboration of Suceava city development strategy has to take into account the potential problems of the 
community. The green spaces that are insufficient and the complete detach of the young from nature can be 
the strategic points of the new strategy. This work wants to offer possible solutions regarding sedentary life 
problems of the „Messenger Generation” and the lack of green entertainment areas. 
Keywords:  social  innovation,  development  strategies,  local  authorities,  Messenger  Generation,  Active 
Park 
Social Innovation – the Changing Vector  
The concept of the social innovation supposes a new perception on the continuous development of the local 
communities. The social innovation produces interest because it can solve some esthetical-administrative 
problems, reducing the negative economic impact on the green areas. It is referring to the social needs, 
concomitant unparalleled with the developing of new products, services and organizations that activates in 
solving the contradictory aspects.  
Innovative societies (local authorities) are those whom, in one moment of their evolution, should respond 
to some challenges, being in the situation to innovate. Either it was about the integration of the socio-
cultural  disparities,  assimilating  the  results  of  a  scientific  revolution  or  economic  development,  the 
administration of some regions or populations, those societies should manifest receptivity in front of the 
market needs, trying to bring a surplus of novelty and originality to the area.  
In this way it was proved that: societies that are opened on the knowledge exchanges with other averages, 
implementing of the modern technologies, know-how and those whom manifest a special sensibility on the 
new  elements  and  concepts,  insufficient  thoroughly,  are  more  innovative,  developing  an  efficient  and 
complex  politic  establishment.  On  the  other  hand,  ethnocentric  and  autarchic  closed  societies  are  not 
innovative and, un-disposing of a differential political establishment; lose the collation with averages much 
more dynamic and much well organized.  
The sophistication of the life way and the diversification of the cultural models, creation, imposing and 
acceptation of new rules means the birth of the social innovation as system of transformative collective 
activity. Civic spirit supposes the capacity of the imaginative anticipation and so, of the original adapting 
on  the  average  and  unknown  situations.  Multilateral  life  style  of  the  human  groups  with  the  social 
innovation  also  meant  the  apparition  and  development  of  the  social  systems  interactions  –  biosocial, 
ecosocial,  economical,  cultural,  communicational,  political  –  and  also,  setting  up  the  comprehensive 
durable texture inside the global society. 604 
The  identity  crises  and  the  indifference  on  the  contemporaneous  socio-technologic  evolution,  on  the 
background of their inadaptability to the modern times tasks, do not allow the harmonious development of 
all  the  Romanian  social  averages.  For  example,  it  is  eloquent  the  North-East  Developing  Euroregion 
situation,  known  on  the  media  plan,  as  being  the  poorest  region  of  the  European  Union.  Even  if  an 
improvement is observed of the life stile in Romania north-east area, locally, the discrepancy are more and 
more evident, and this, on the background of the missing coherence and weakly managerial initiative. 
Starting from here, the hypothesis as per the dispatch between social innovation and a comprehensive 
model of the politic helps the society in understanding, proving to be an IQ test and collective cohabitation. 
The three E, base directions (empower, educate, enhance) that fundament the power of the local authorities 
follow on the implementation and realization of the social innovation principles. Local authorities represent 
the community and, as following, taken decisions, have to be in the citizen service. Also, town halls must 
take all measures needed to educating and inoculating the responsible spirit in citizen’s line and not finally, 
the society must be encouraged to identify the responsible measures dispatch with natural frame, on the 
preventing  environment  pollution  and  the  autochthon  sustainability  potential,  concomitant  with  socio-
cultural inheritance dissemination to the next generations. 
 
Pylons of the Social Innovation  
 Source:  http://www.socialinnovationpark.org/  
All categories of stakeholders can be involved in actions of social innovation; from the big international 
actors, to little economic agents, from the enterprising interested on their own image, ONG, to the local 
authorities  or  large  public.  Most  of  the  times,  social  innovation  is  the  best  solution  in  maintain  the 
biodiversity in the areas affected by human activity.  
Messenger Generation 
Climatic modifications conditioned, mainly by the ingravescence of the greenery effect, will have a special 
impact regarding the future perception of children on nature. Natural environment loses more and more 
land and people are totally emotionless, hypnotized by the technological liveliness and caught up with open 
eyes in the modern world traps. 
The big guilty people of the false valuable scale of our children: television and internet, are easy to identify 
just to a superficial analyze of the environment. Epochal discoveries of the last 50 years, facilities that in 
the Romanian society, from the absence of an alive option, became the traps flaws, making the human 
idiotically, to not think anymore, to not actuate anymore, are double edged weapons. Those two modern 
information averages can satisfy the unusual thirsty of knowledge of today young’s but, many times this 
valuable informational springboards seems to generate a lot of adverse reactions. Messenger Generation 
mix up the internet discussion carried with friends with that addressed to a stranger. Unfortunately, the 
reading absence it is observed to young people from our days in their way of expressing. The wrong use of 
different terms, semantic incoherence, propositions without subject or predicate and suburb expressions 
dominate in the communicational language of children and adults. The internet and the television that 
monopolize almost all the time are the main factors that influence them the language transformation. 
School is the one that must find methods and means to attenuate the harmful effects of television and 
internet, with assuming the educational management. To come to the long-expected behaviour changes, it 
is needed that the main educational factors: family and school to action convergent upon child. As like, 
influenced by own life experience, family has the trend to consider that it is enough to take care only to 605 
satisfy  the  primary  needs  of  the  child  (food,  clothes,  daily  expenses),  ignoring  the  importance  of  the 
affective communication and of the development of belong feeling, at school comes the hard task to form 
and educate the child. 
Unfortunately, at school and kindergarden it is studied much less than sufficient „The knowledge of the 
environment” but, very trendy are foreign languages, mainly English, and computer skills. The contact 
with the environment is for the young people from town a real adventure or, worse, a punishment that they 
had to execute during the summer vacation. 
In these conditions, shouldn’t surprise anyone the fact that in many children’s conception: cows are pink, 
rabbits eat just carrots, mousses scare cats, the fruit of the beech is acorn or that tamagotchi are some very 
cute animals.  
The  association:  grass,  water  and  forest  are  synonym  for  most  of  the  young  people  with  fun.  The 
interference of those three elements represents the place where in weekend music is listened, “mici” are 
served (traditional Romanian food made with meat) and specially, they can enjoy themselves with a lost of 
bear. The beauty of some of these places does not raise very much the interest because the reason that for 
the trees shadow, grass freshness and water coolness are searched is based on the space need to organize 
parties  with  friends.  At apartment house  you can  not organize something like this because there isn’t 
enough space and neighbours forbid you to manifest like a “rebel”.   
The Green Areas Crises in Suceava 
The air pollution in the urban area with exhaust gas, massive land clearings, growing urbanization, restraint 
of the green areas and vegetal protection chains, the stress, the phonic pollution, the unemployment and the 
high temperatures during the summer are specific elements in the urban area. The relation between the 
climacteric changes and the interest manifested towards the nature is in inverse proportion. We are living in 
a hostile environment where the nature is a simple piece of scenery, strongly anthropized. 
The  vegetation,  fundamental  element  of  the  natural  environment,  is  an  important  factor  in  the  self 
purification  of  the  atmosphere,  this  being  the  reason  why  we  cannot  conceive  its  lack  in  the  urban 
arrangements. So, the main purpose of the green spaces arrangement in the urban zone is the improvement 
of  the  environment  status.  It  also  must  not  be  neglected  the  esthetical  and  social  contribution  of  the 
vegetation, which supposes the disconnecting and the relaxation of the citizens. 
The Suceava city does not have very much green area, parks and pleasure zones. According to the data 
supplied by the County Statistics Department, the Suceava city had in 2005, 29,79 square meter of green 
space/inhabitant, much under the 50 square meters/inhabitant recommended by the World Organization of 
Health. 
Only in three years, the measures of green spaces expansion, actions initiated by the local authorities of 
Suceava, supposed the allocation of over one million lei for planting 130.000 trees, most of them on the 
houseful associations domain. Such initiatives are welcomed, but unfortunately the involvement of the 
citizens in this action was not very deep. Most of the young people are impassive and totally not interested 
of the natural environment or the quality of the breathable air from Suceava city. 
In these conditions, the application of some strategic policies with innovative character must be done, 
measures which to pursue the creation of a free green zone, sheltered from the restrictive human economic 
actions, even in the centre zone of the city. It is in view, in a first phase, The ￿ipote Dendrology Park 
located between the ultra central zone „22 December – House of Culture of The Syndicates and The Reign 
Citadel of Suceava. By actions like: „The nature protest against The Internet” or „The secrets of green 
therapy”, „the Messenger Generation” is especially aimed, together with the population segment between 
25 and 40 years. The main purpose is the return of the young people and adults in the middle of the nature, 
realizing  about  the  importance  of  the  parks,  the  intensification  of  the  civic  spirit  and  special  respect 
towards the environment. If the initiative will be a successful one, such actions could be directed also 
towards The Zamca Forest, planning to be expanded in the future for other green areas from the meadow of 
the Suceava River or the ICAR zone. 
The  ￿ipote  Dendrology  Park  and  its  extension  –  The  Park  of  The  Citadel,  are  under  the  direct 
administration of The Forest Department Suceava. Although the City Hall of Suceava initiated all the 
necessary steps for this forest in order to go from the public domain of the state in the local public domain, 
The Suceava Local Council did not really manage to take in custody this green area. The uncertain statute 606 
of this forest is to be seen in the cleanliness and the negligent aspect of this green area. In the future, a long 
term strategy: 30-50 years, of development of the Suceava City must be conceived, which to include also 
the durable development of the ￿ipote area. 
Nature Rediscovery 
For  the  walks  lovers,  this  forest-park  has  immeasurable  sentimental  value.  The  beauty  of  the  zone  is 
incontestable,  but  the  lack  of  lanes,  banks  and  the  presence  of  the  nettles  and  PETs  discourage  the 
entertaining actions. So, some solutions with social character must be found, solutions to permit the town 
inhabitants, and especially young people, the spending of the spare time in the middle of the nature. 
How can the Suceava young people be convinced that the plants and animals species are menaced with 
disappearance, when they still exist, and especially how we sensitize the people in this respect? Since we 
do not have the support of the public, but only declaratively it is very difficult to offer an incentive to the 
citizen in this respect. We are going in this way to the situations on the territory of the communicational 
marketing, of the social responsibility and of innovation. 
Starting from the lack of time allocated for walks, continuing with brainless questions at first sight such as 
„do I have internet access there?” and continuing with the superficial perception of the nature, seen only as 
a scenery object – most of times the people going for a walk with the dog in the park without observing the 
nature -, all these strongly impose the social innovation.  
What if the ￿ipote Dendrology Park would have the aspect of a zoo in the air, with deer, stags, wild rabbits, 
foxes and squirrels protected by law? What if the modern technology would be combined with the nature 
charm and the practical utility of a park? What if we would adopt a tree? What if we would stay and talk 
with that tree? It would be weird, but I think that it would be very thrilling. The concept of Active Park 
would be probably the most adequate for this forest. 
The transformation of the forest from the centre of the city into a zoo park would be a novelty for Romania. 
What can be more pleasant than to walk your lover around some deer, to look around for squirrels or to 
admire  bored  little  rabbits  that  run  from  here  to  there?  All  these  under  the  discreet,  but  attentive 
observation, of a closed circuit video system. The persons which make an attempt on the silence and the 
liberty of the animals will be severely amended, being liable of prison if they do not respect ad-litteram the 
regulation of the park. 
The idea of a tree adoption seems not only rorty, but also attractive, even interactive. Starting from the 
premise that the number of the trees is limited and their value is immeasurable, the people that want, 
especially young people, from Suceava, but also from other areas, can adopt for a reasonable sum around 
20 lei, one, maximum two trees from the park. The relation of kindred is valid for 2 years,  with the 
possibility of prolongation for a year more, if the Suceava adoptive parents visit the „child” tree at least 
two times a month talking and caressing it. The adoptive parents from other localities have the moral 
obligation to visit their „son” at least two times a year. The tree will have a name, will have its own 
birthday and will be easy to identify using a code given by the geographical localization with the help of 
the GPS. At the park entrance, the ones interested can hire for 3 hours (tariff 5 lei) a GPS which can be 
used at the identification of the adopted tree location, the establishment of the geographical coordinates and 
will facilitate the transmission of the visit confirmation signal to a command centre. In case that the ritual is 
not respected, the parents will be degenerated from the parental rights. 
By introducing a personal code the custodian will have free access to wireless internet 15 meters around 
the adopted tree. An IT platform connected to the internet will also exist, and will show online the list of 
the adoptive parents, its photo, the identification dates of the tree in keeping and the stage of the bilateral 
meetings.  At  the  end  of  every  year,  from  the  most  devoted  parents  will  be  nominated,  the  father, 
respectively, the mother of the year. The happy model parent will be promoted by the mass-media and, if 
he/she wants, can keep the „son” for the rest of his/her life, but with the respect of the ritual. 
Conclusions 
All these can be possible only after the preliminary arrangement of the park, organizing which supposes the 
realization  of  lanes  and  tracks  for  cyclists,  the  planting  of  the  turf,  the  securization  of  the  zone,  the 
promotion of such a project and the declaration of this area as natural interest protected zone. Starting from 607 
this social innovation, the marketing strategy is to try the transformation of the park into the city symbol 
together with the Reign Citadel. 
Grace  to  the  social  innovation  principles  such  ideas  will  get  to  new  relating  and  interaction  concepts 
between man and nature. The respect towards the nature will be prioritary and the presence of such oases, 
green and quiet, in the urban centres can bring the young people in the middle of the nature. Only in this 
way the perception of nature will be different and the social innovation will not miss from the regional 
development strategies. 
References 
1.  Gershuny,  J.  I.-  Social  Innovation  and  the  Division  of  Labour,  Oxford  Library  of  Political 
Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984 
2.  Kotler P., Managementul marketingului, (translation), Editura Teora, Bucure￿ti, 1997; 
3.  http://www.apmsv.ro/Monitorizare/Raport_2007/Capitolul%207_04.pdf  (accessed at 04.15.2008) 
4.  http://www.socialinnovationpark.org/ (accessed at 04.10.2008) 
5.  http://dsi.britishcouncil.org.cn/what_is_si_new.jsp  (accessed at 04.10.2008) 
6.  http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B38E1C1A-3557-4001-B732-
1A116AB797B2/0/SIdps.pdf (accessed at 03.31.2008) 

SOCIAL INNOVATION - MODERN INSTRUMENT FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF LOCAL COMUNITIES

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SOCIAL INNOVATION - MODERN INSTRUMENT FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF LOCAL COMUNITIES

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