Public participation in the danish planning system —or who decides the contents of the agenda?

Abstract

Public participation was introduced in the period 1970–1975 at all planning levels of the Danish planning system, i.e. for regional and municipal comprehensive planning and for local district plans and urban renewal plans. This article focuses upon why public participation was introduced at all planning levels, how it was introduced, the distribution and quality of participation, and the progress in quality. Special emphasis is given to the handling of the “agenda problem”, i.e. who decides what is on the agenda when a planning proposal is discussed in public. In conclusion, some prevailing problems and perspectives are outlined.