Participatory Urban Planning Research Articles

PLANOWANIE PRZESTRZENNE WE FRANCJI OD RENESANSU DO DNIA DZISIEJSZEGO2 . WYBRANE ASPEKTY

The subject of the present article is a selection of aspects of urban planning in France over the last 500 years. The paper presents a synthesis of elements that constitute the functioning of the urban planning law in force in this country. The article presents the evolution of urban planning law over the centuries and today. It describes the documents that create the framework for urban planning in France, a summary of urban planning, describes the process of public participation in urban planning, which are followed by a conclusions.

Co-producing urban knowledge in Angola and Mozambique: towards meeting SDG 11

The need to make cities in Africa more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (Sustainable Development Goal 11) is undisputed as rapid urban growth rates are set to make the African region a key hub in the global transition to a predominantly urban world. This perspective presents findings from a research project conducted in the cities of Luanda, Angola and Maputo, Mozambique, which used citizen science to generate data on selected indicators of the urban Sustainable Development Goal and use this data to inform more inclusive, sustainable and participatory urban planning and policymaking. Based on the research, we argue that meeting SDG 11 will ultimately depend on the spaces and mechanisms for knowledge co-production and sharing that are produced in the process.

“Critical Agents of Change?”: Opportunities and Limits to Children’s Participation in Urban Planning

Children’s participation in urban planning impacts communities. A policy environment supports their participation, yet this is far from mainstream, particularly in areas of greatest vulnerability. This literature review demonstrates what we do and don’t know about barriers and enablers to children’s participation in urban planning. We identify key themes within participatory methods, processes, and structures that influence urban planning stages and methods and identify the consequences of children’s inclusion or exclusion. We then argue for a research agenda that examines institutional impacts on urban planning and decisions that include or exclude children to contribute to a transformation of on-ground practices.

In search of a co-operation ecosystem for collaborative planning and co-governance

Contemporary urban planning with linear administrative processes, based on the ideals of predictability and control, have come to its end. Even public participatory planning has struggled to incorporate the input of engaged citizens to urban development and the co-governance of common resources. Self-organized actions of urban activist and mundane everyday life have not been sufficiently addressed in the participatory urban planning processes. However, local initiatives and even the temporary use of urban space have been seen as a contribution to urban development. The problem is that so far we do not have much knowledge about the co-operation ecosystem required for new approaches to urban planning, such as the Expanded urban planning. In this article, I examine two case studies, on the basis of which a co-operation ecosystem for Expanded urban planning is outlined. I argue that such an ecosystem for co-operation can significantly help cities integrate self-organized citizen initiatives to urban and community development. It might, however, also require planners to take a stronger role in enhancing a culture of participation.

Radical Geography and Advocacy Mapping: The Case of the Detroit Geographical Expedition and Institute (1968–1972)

In 1968, a group of geographers led by William Bunge founded the Detroit Geographical Expedition and Institute (DGEI), a methodology based on teaching neighborhood residents the skills of a folk geographer to help them improve their built environments. This article focuses on the necessity of revisiting the geographical expedition format today and its influence on participatory urban planning practices and advocacy mapping. After looking at DGEI’s activities in the Detroit neighborhood of Fitzgerald, I then focus on two specific elements in direct relation to the field of urban planning: that of communal participation and that of the map-making process itself.

Study on Public Participation in Urban Planning of Local Government in China

Study on Public Participation in Urban Planning of Local Government in China

ПУБЛІЧНІ ПРОСТОРИ ЖИТОМИРА: МІСЦЯ, ЯКІ СПОНУКАЮТЬ МЕШКАНЦІВ ВИХОДИТИ В МІСТО

The article presents an analysis of participatory urban planning practices in the context of their impact on providing the city with advanced high-quality public spaces. The case of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred Square in Zhytomyr shows the positive impact of urban activism on improving the quality of abandoned public space by means of its reconstruction. The assessment of the quality and the use of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred Square after the reconstruction was conducted on the basis of calculations of indices specifying an intensity of use and, in particular, social use, duration of stay of visitors, variety of use and users, and time variety of use. The indices were calculated based on the data collected during the structured observation. The results demonstrate that the square is characterized by a moderate level of intensity of social interaction, high level of intensity, variety and time diversity of use, as well as very high level of user diversity index. Eight areas by the location of different types of square visitors activities have been identified according to the results of observations and surveys; in particular, it is revealed that the areas of chess tables, a cafe, playground and various benches are in the greatest demand in the square. The inclusive accessibility, comfort and safety of the square after its reconstruction are analyzed. It was found that the high social intensity of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred Square use show its sacredness for citizens as a place of memory, a place of identity formation, a place that attracts visitors, and a place that encourages Zhytomyr residents to go out to the city. The study of the impact of urban activism on improving the quality of the abandoned public space (the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred Square in Zhytomyr) contributes to the discourse on modern transformations of public spaces in the cities of post-socialist countries.

Evaluating the role of urban planners in participatory urban planning: A conceptual model of success in Iran

Evaluating the role of urban planners in participatory urban planning: A conceptual model of success in Iran

Augmented Reality (AR) for Promoting Public Participation in Urban Planning

Public participation plays a vital role for the developer and local government as this ensures the acceptance of the general public to the proposed project. However, the general public participation rate in the planning process in Malaysia is still at a low level. Hence, this study was conducted to study the use of augmented reality (AR) as a tool in promoting public participation in the planning process. In the study that was conducted, 77 respondents were selected from the general public to evaluate the effectiveness of AR. During this evaluation process, 37 of them were given AR material, and another 40 of them were given classic plan material. By using feedbacks from the public, statistical analysis was done to study the effect of AR and conventional plan material on the willingness for public participation process. The statistical test shows that the participant is more willing to participate in the public participation process when AR material is being used.Keywords: AR, Public Participation, Urban Planning

Integrating Online and Onsite Participation in Urban Planning

The present contribution offers an assessment of the development and implementation of the digital participation system in Hamburg, Germany. The system utilises open and public planning data within a web-based interface and a physical decision-support tool. These technologies are integrated in urban planning processes, namely through citizen participation and citizen engagement. The research presented in this paper assesses the impact of the digital participation system by evaluating three key aspects shared with traditional citizen-participation methods: (1) the selection of participants, (2) the modes of communication used, and (3) the authority and power. The assessment is based on the analysis of data collected from interviews and a usability and user-experience study. For the analysis and comparison of DIPAS to other participation formats, this paper introduces a visual assessment tool, the participation cube. The digital participation system is found to have diversified the selection of participants and improved collaboration with the general public. However, it did not facilitate higher decisional power, due to the lack of legal adjustments. The author argues that new forms of participation should not only rely on digital tools, but should also engage with the institutional and procedural context in which participation occurs. Several strategies are suggested to support an inter-disciplinary approach at the intersection of technical tools and traditional planning practices. These hybrid strategies would allow the seamless integration of citizen contributions into the creation of urban development plans.

Dialectical Design Dialogues: Negotiating Ethics in Participatory Planning by Building a Critical Design Atlas

This article explores ‘dialectical design dialogues’ as an approach to engage with ethics in everyday urban planning contexts. It starts from Paulo Freire’s pedagogical view (1970/2017), in which dialogues imply the establishment of a horizontal relation between professionals and amateurs, in order to understand, question and imagine things in everyday reality, in this case, urban transformations, applied to participatory planning and enriched through David Harvey’s (2000, 2009) dialectical approach. A dialectical approach to design dialogues acknowledges and renegotiates contrasts and convergences of ethical concerns specific to the reality of concrete daily life, rather than artificially presenting daily life as made of consensus or homogeneity. The article analyses an atlas as a tool to facilitate dialectical design dialogues in a case study of a low-density residential neighbourhood in the city of Genk, Belgium. It sees the production of the atlas as a collective endeavour during which planners, authorities and citizens reflect on possible futures starting from a confrontation of competing uses and perspectives of neighbourhood spaces. The article contributes to the state-of-the-art in participatory urban planning in two ways: (1) by reframing the theoretical discussion on ethics by arguing that not only the verbal discourses around designerly atlas techniques but also the techniques themselves can support urban planners in dealing more consciously with ethics (accountability, morality and authorship) throughout urban planning processes, (2) by offering a concrete practice-based example of producing an atlas that supports the participatory articulation and negotiation of dialectical inquiry of ethics through dialogues in a ‘real-time’ urban planning process.

Управление городским наследием в Санкт-Петербурге: между локальным и глобальным


 
 
 
 В статье на примере архитектурного конкурса реконструкции Большой Морской улицы в Санкт-Петербурге рассматривается вопрос о контроле наследия. Конкурс 2016 года представляется как событие, раскрывающее конфликтующие логики, дискурсы и формы рациональности в управлении архитектурным наследием. Рассмотрение их использования субъектами, участвующими в создании проектов Большой Морской, — профессиональными архитектурными студиями, инициативными группами, представителями государственных структур, — и является целью статьи. Работа вносит вклад в дискуссию об управлении на расстоянии в отношениях центра/периферии. Используя метод включенного наблюдения, дискурс-анализ архитектурных концепций, нормативных документов, а также интервью с гражданскими группами, автор раскрывает различные типы рациональности, включенные в процесс планирования. Проекты Большой Морской улицы иллюстрируют столкновение двух планировочных парадигм, различающихся по эпистемическим основаниям (формам рациональности) и дискурсивным практикам. В первой парадигме государство рассматривается как ключевой актор планировочного процесса. Другая выстраивается вокруг рыночной и гражданской логик, соучастия граждан в планировании городских пространств. Представители этой парадигмы формируют новые гражданские идентичности и свою аргументацию в рамках рыночного международного дискурса.
 
 
 

Serious gaming to stimulate participatory urban tourism planning

This paper examines how a serious game approach could support a participatory planning process by bringing stakeholders together to discuss interventions that assist the development of sustainable urban tourism. A serious policy game was designed and played in six European cities by a total of 73 participants, reflecting a diverse array of tourism stakeholders. By observing in-game experiences, a pre- and post -game survey and short interviews six months after playing the game, the process and impact of the game was investigated. While it proved difficult to evaluate the value of a serious game approach, results demonstrate that enacting real-life policymaking in a serious game setting can enable stakeholders to come together, and become more aware of the issues and complexities involved with urban tourism planning. This suggests a serious game can be used to stimulate the uptake of academic insights in a playful manner. However, it should be remembered that a game is a tool and does not, in itself, lead to inclusive participatory policymaking and more sustainable urban tourism planning. Consequently, care needs to be taken to ensure inclusiveness and prevent marginalization or disempowerment both within game-design and the political formation of a wider participatory planning approach.

Analysis of citizens' motivation and participation intention in urban planning

Public participation has attracted considerable interest in urban planning theory and practice. A large body of growing literature has attempted to figure out the importance of public participation in urban planning and management. However, there are very few theory-driven empirical studies in the participation literature that examine citizen's motivation and intention to participate in urban planning processes. The aim of this paper therefore is to fill this gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between motivation and the intention of public participation in the field of urban planning and management. On the basis of a survey conducted in Wuhan, China, a structural equation model is developed and estimated to identify the causal relationships between four motivational factors and three intentions to participate in urban planning. We find positive impacts of “Civil Society” “Personal Interest” “Social Influence” and a negative impact of “Constraints” on the intention to participate in urban planning. The conclusions of this study provide valuable insights for exploring the intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting citizens' participation intentions in urban planning activities.

Planning in no one’s backyard: municipal planners’ discourses of participation in brownfield projects in Helsinki, Amsterdam and Copenhagen

ABSTRACT Citizen participation in urban planning has been contested in recent research for stemming from the need to ease conflicts instead of broadening local democracy. Definitions given to participation by planners have remained elusive and do not seem to result in agreed upon practical procedures in the framework of communicative urban planning. This article examines municipal urban planners’ discourses of participation in urban brownfield projects in Helsinki, Amsterdam and Copenhagen through the lens of communicative planning theory (CPT). The contribution of this empirical research case is in its focus on public planners’ views and affordances of participation. The article demonstrates how planners’ work is largely influenced by exogenous political and economic factors and argues that publicly led citizen participation in large-scale brownfield projects is primarily motivated from a comprehensive-rational viewpoint as a way to inform citizens of the construction project and to maintain speedy development. Participatory work is restricted by a complex environment where CPT’s ideals clash with fast paced building, global economy and institutional ambiguity.

Public Participation in Preparing Urban Plans, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: the Case of Dammam Metropolitan Area. (Dept. A)

Saudi government took the initiative and declared formation of municipal councils. This act allows Saudi elected members to participate in issues concerning city development and thus lessening some of the problems facing the local society. This research aims to explore opinions regarding the introduction of public participation practice in the urban planning process in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA) is taken as a case study. The paper investigates the opinions of the professionals, officials and experts at DMA. Emphasis is on the method and means of participation, and who should participate. The paper starts with an introduction, followed with a review of literature with emphasis on the processes of urban plan development and public participation. Then, data collection methods and analysis are discussed. Finally, the study ends with discussion and recommendations. The results show that public participation is one of the core principles of preparing urban plans. It shows that the professionals, officials and experts of Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA) have positive attitudes toward public participation in urban planning. They support participation in urban planning and by particularly giving equal chance to Men & Women to participate in decision making.

Participatory Urban Planning: What Would Make Planners Trust the Citizens?

Based on the critical stance of citizens towards urban planning, growing attention has been directed towards new forms of citizen participation. A key expectation is that advanced digital technologies will reconnect citizens and decision makers and enhance trust in planning. However, empirical evidence suggests participation by itself does not foster trust, and many scholars refer to a general weakness of these initiatives to deliver the expected outcomes. Considering that trust is reciprocal, this article will switch focus and concentrate on planners’ attitudes towards citizens. Do urban planners generally think that citizens are trustworthy? Even though studies show that public officials are more trusting than people in general, it is possible that they do not trust citizens when interacting with government. However, empirical evidence is scarce. While there is plenty of research on citizens’ trust in government, public officials trust in citizens has received little scholarly attention. To address this gap, we will draw on a survey targeted to a representative sample of public managers in Swedish local government (N = 1430). First, urban planners will be compared with other public officials when it comes to their level of trust toward citizens’ ability, integrity and benevolence. In order to understand variations in trust, a set of institutional factors will thereafter be tested, along with more commonly used individual factors. In light of the empirical findings, the final section of the article returns to the idea of e-participation as a trust-building strategy. What would make planners trust the citizens in participatory urban planning?

The normative influence of adults on youth access: Challenges and opportunities in the context of shifts away from car-dependence

IntroductionA transition from car-dependence in cities, towards public and active transport has potential accessibility, health, and environmental benefits. However, it is critical that this transition does not exacerbate health inequities, but rather proactively plans to address them. A focus on youth who experience disadvantage and health disparities is important and must be explored from multiple perspectives. We report on a qualitative investigation in New Zealand adults to understand normative and contextual influences on youth transport preferences and in/ability to access opportunities, drawing out implications for healthy and equitable future policies. MethodTwenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with adults, predominantly in Auckland and Christchurch, in positions of influence over youth who experience access difficulties: parents, employers, and representatives of education and youth organisations. Interviews focused on adult perceptions of access barriers and enablers for youth, their expectations and practices, and future solutions. Interview data were analysed thematically using a semi-inductive approach. ResultsOvercoming complex access challenges for youth in larger New Zealand cities is heavily reliant on family and organisational support. A normative expectation for youth to become licensed and drive permeated this network of people and organisations, underpinned by: perceptions of practical necessity; non-viability of public and active transport; and, beliefs about the intertwined benefits of driving and licensure. Despite longer-term desires for sustainable and structural solutions, an urgent focus on immediate goals meant acceptance of the trade-offs associated with driving-based solutions. ConclusionDisadvantaged youth must be systematically included in the transition to public and active transport. Our results highlight opportunities for adult influencers to support structural and behaviour change for equity, rather than reinforce car-dependence. To navigate complex tensions between economic, health, equity, and environmental goals, a structural response is needed, which includes a shift in the role of adults and organisations and youth participation in urban planning.

Participatory Planning in Post-socialist Cities: A Case Study of Riga

Abstract After three decades of socio-economic and political changes, participation in urban planning is still an emerging practice in post-socialist countries. Using Riga as a case study, the research aims to explore participatory planning practices in a post-socialist urban context since 1990. Employing meta-analysis as a methodological approach to combine information from various sources, the study identifies three phases of participatory planning in Riga characterized by changes in government-led participatory planning approaches, level of participation, outcomes as well as changes in the civic sector.

Evaluating the Role of Urban Planners in Participatory Urban Planning: A Conceptual Model of Success in Iran

Evaluating the Role of Urban Planners in Participatory Urban Planning: A Conceptual Model of Success in Iran