Student information
Participatory practices in spatial planning
Participatory practices are widely established in contemporary spatial planning, especially in the western world like the United States and EU countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany.
Increasingly, citizens expect to be able to participate in planning processes that affect their life, not only in western countries, but also in many other countries in the world. Arguments for encouraging public participation can be classified in normative (the right thing to do), instrumental (creating understanding, consensus, trust and acceptance) and substantive (providing better quality information) arguments. This thesis topic aims to assess the effectiveness of participatory practices in different cases and to explore the options for improvement in countries where participatory practices in spatial planning are lacking.
Contact person: Gerrit Jan Carsjens. gerrit-jan.carsjens@wur.nl