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Lack of participatory effort : On the ethics of communicating urban planning

Sandin, Gunnar LU (2020) In Urban Planning 5(4). p.227-237
Abstract

In all planning processes, including those we label participatory, there are neglected parties. Even when co-produced decisions, equity objectives, or common initiatives are at hand, some actors are likely to be less listened to, or they are never even recognised, hence, ‘perfect’ participation does not exist. Nevertheless, participatory objectives continue to be an important resilience factor in attempts to make—and architectonically shape—new built environments, based as much in concerned parties’ wishes and knowledge of local circumstances, as in the repertoire of traditional professional solutions and political or profit-driven exploitation. This article makes a sample survey on land-use oriented planning and its capacity to include... (More)

In all planning processes, including those we label participatory, there are neglected parties. Even when co-produced decisions, equity objectives, or common initiatives are at hand, some actors are likely to be less listened to, or they are never even recognised, hence, ‘perfect’ participation does not exist. Nevertheless, participatory objectives continue to be an important resilience factor in attempts to make—and architectonically shape—new built environments, based as much in concerned parties’ wishes and knowledge of local circumstances, as in the repertoire of traditional professional solutions and political or profit-driven exploitation. This article makes a sample survey on land-use oriented planning and its capacity to include concerned parties, ranging from total neglect of residents to formalised government-steered participation and more spontaneous or insurgent community-driven attempts to communicate a wish. Two basic questions with ethical implications are here raised concerning how planning communication is grounded: Who is invited into dialogue, and what kind of flaws in the establishment of communicational links can be found? These questions are discussed here as examples of ethical dilemmas in planning concerning previously analysed cases in Sweden with an initial reflection also on known cases in India, Germany and Australia. Communicational mechanisms such as ‘dialogic reciprocity’ and ‘successive translational steps’ are especially discussed as areas of possible improvement in participatory practices.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Architecture, Citizen participation, Dialogic communication, Land use, Public consultation
in
Urban Planning
volume
5
issue
4
pages
11 pages
publisher
Cogitatio
external identifiers
  • scopus:85098934799
ISSN
2183-7635
DOI
10.17645/up.v5i4.3445
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2d6dc81d-2e09-4825-b5d3-179fc5aca420
date added to LUP
2021-01-21 14:31:24
date last changed
2022-04-19 03:59:34
@article{2d6dc81d-2e09-4825-b5d3-179fc5aca420,
  abstract     = {{<p>In all planning processes, including those we label participatory, there are neglected parties. Even when co-produced decisions, equity objectives, or common initiatives are at hand, some actors are likely to be less listened to, or they are never even recognised, hence, ‘perfect’ participation does not exist. Nevertheless, participatory objectives continue to be an important resilience factor in attempts to make—and architectonically shape—new built environments, based as much in concerned parties’ wishes and knowledge of local circumstances, as in the repertoire of traditional professional solutions and political or profit-driven exploitation. This article makes a sample survey on land-use oriented planning and its capacity to include concerned parties, ranging from total neglect of residents to formalised government-steered participation and more spontaneous or insurgent community-driven attempts to communicate a wish. Two basic questions with ethical implications are here raised concerning how planning communication is grounded: Who is invited into dialogue, and what kind of flaws in the establishment of communicational links can be found? These questions are discussed here as examples of ethical dilemmas in planning concerning previously analysed cases in Sweden with an initial reflection also on known cases in India, Germany and Australia. Communicational mechanisms such as ‘dialogic reciprocity’ and ‘successive translational steps’ are especially discussed as areas of possible improvement in participatory practices.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sandin, Gunnar}},
  issn         = {{2183-7635}},
  keywords     = {{Architecture; Citizen participation; Dialogic communication; Land use; Public consultation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{227--237}},
  publisher    = {{Cogitatio}},
  series       = {{Urban Planning}},
  title        = {{Lack of participatory effort : On the ethics of communicating urban planning}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/up.v5i4.3445}},
  doi          = {{10.17645/up.v5i4.3445}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}