Participatory Urban Planning

Purpose

Participatory urban planning is a planning approach that bases planning solutions on the requirements of the end user, as opposed to a blind top-down approach by planning experts to base planning solutions purely on statistical data. In addition to bringing forth local issues and the felt needs of a community that require attention, participatory urban planning works as an empowerment tool. It brings forth consensus where there is a multiplicity of interests, gives voice to marginalized groups within a community, allows for the inclusion of local knowledge and know-how into established design methods and brings about accountability in local governance.

Difference from Conventional Urban Planning Approaches

Conventional urban planning approaches are dominating, treating the community as ‘beneficiaries' of solutions provided by planning experts, and the resolution for planning problems is carried out through a normative project methodology. It projects reliance on statistical data and, owing to its top-down approach, entails minor, local-level involvement. In contrast, participatory urban planning allows local knowledge to form the basis of planning solutions. The direct involvement of the community takes place at all stages of planning, allowing them to become contributors and decision-makers instead of being treated like an audience that is provided information once decisions have been made. Additionally, participatory planning provides inclusion of the diverse interests and focus areas (often a result of social constructs) within a community.

Achieving Community Participation

The process of incorporating community-level involvement consists of a series of actions that ensure that community members are providing input at every stage of the planning process. As a result, the community's involvement begins at a microlevel with their participation at the neighbourhood level and goes up to the macrolevel with their participation at city-level meetings.

At the onset of a project, an exhaustive reconnaissance survey of the area of interest needs to be carried out so that existing resources can be noted. When juxtaposed against the voiced needs of the community, the results of this survey help create a realistic image of the requirements of the project. Subsequently, the stakeholders are encouraged to voice their needs and concerns. At the onset, there may exist an apathy to the planning process within the community owing to unpleasant past experiences in urban development projects where the community's needs may have been overlooked or the community may have been coerced into accepting the planning solutions provided to them. The presence of community-based organizations and an increased level of awareness relating to participation create a more enabling environment for the community to participate. It is important at this stage to note and encourage the involvement of the marginalized groups in the community (e.g. women, senior citizens, youth and minority groups) in order to create a holistic set of requirements for the project. This step is especially challenging as it requires overlooking the social hierarchies existing in the community based on age, gender and economic status and urging representation from all groups within the community.

...