Building Communities While Building Plans: A Review of Techniques for Participatory Planning Processes

Abstract

There is no single recipe for a successful planning process. Instead, communities must take advantage of the ingredients at their disposal. A variety of techniques, both high- and low-tech, can be used. None is failsafe; each has pros and cons. Typically, their success will depend on both the community's resources and its resourcefulness. In this review, we briefly describe and assess techniques that can be used to aid five phases of a participatory planning process: those concerning goals, information, options, decisions, and monitoring. We conclude with recommendations for ways to build, not simply a plan, but a stronger social fabric. In particular, we argue that participants in a planning process should be treated, not primarily as representatives of vested interests, but as citizens with the responsibility and capability to plan for the common good.