Community Participation

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
Participatory design is an attitude about a force for change in the creation

and management of environments for people. Its strength lies in being
a movement that cuts across traditional professional boundaries and
cultures. The activity of community participation is based on the principle
that the environment works better if citizens are active and involved in its
creation and management instead of being treated as passive consumers
(Sanoff, 2000).
The purposes of public participation are:
To build public knowledge about the process and issues;
To identify public concerns and values;
To gather information, develop consensus, resolve conflict, and
produce better decisions;
To gain the fresh perspective of empowered citizens which can
lead to creative approaches agencies never thought possible;
To enhance the accountability of government decisions through
increased opportunity for citizen participation;
To reduce later delays and costs from not having involved the
public; and
To build trust.
SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Building a participatory democracy also means building an increased sense
of community among the population at large. When people have a strong
sense of community, they are more likely to respond positively to efforts
to solve community problems, and will be willing to contribute their time
and resources to meeting community needs (Morris, 1996). The process is a
stabilizing rather than a destabilizing force. Increased participation efforts
do bring in more people who initially have a lower sense of community
than is typical for those who are politically involved.
Similarly, the unique qualities of places where planning and development
occur can play a critical role in the process as well (Manzo, 2006). Citizens
attachment to places in their community can help to inspire action because
people are motivated to protect and improve places that are meaningful
to them. Sense of community has been linked to place attachment at the
individual and community scale. Rivlins (1987) study of a Brooklyn
neighborhood found that attachment to the neighborhood served as
a precondition for the development of a sense of community among
neighbors. Both sense of community and place attachment are linked to
participation, consequently sense of community has become a key planning
goal (Morris, 1996; Perkins, Brown and Taylor, 1996).
PARTICIPATION OBJECTIVES
Clearly, participation is a general concept covering different forms
of decision-making by a number of involved groups (Wulz, 1986).
Participation can be addressed effectively if the task of participation
is thought of in terms of what is to be accomplished when there is an

acknowledged need to involve community members.
Conceptualizing the issue means asking simple questions: who, what, where, how, and when?
Who are the parties to be involved in participation?
What should be performed by the participation program?
Where should the participation road lead?
How should people be involved?
When in the planning process is participation desired?
The planning that accompanies the development of any participation event
should first include a determination of objectives, such as, to generate
ideas, to identify attitudes, to disseminate information, or to review a
proposal? The list of possible participation objectives will differ from
time to time and from issue to issue. Once the objectives of community
participation are stated, it becomes clear that participation is perceived
according to the type of issue and people involved. If differences in
perception and expectations are not identified at the outset, and realistic
objectives are not made clear, the expectations of those involved in the
participation program will not have been met, and they will become
disenchanted. Planning for participation requires that participation
methods be matched to the objectives, and the appropriate method be
selected.
BENEFITS
Making community participation work means a commitment on the part of
the local government division or community agency initiating the process.
Local governments seeking citizen participation must want, and be willing
to accept, citizen input (Moore and Davis, 1997). When participation is
successful, the following are some of the benefits the community receives
(Creighton, 1994).
Improved quality of decisions
Minimizing cost and delays
Consensus building
Increased ease of implementation
Avoiding worst-case confrontations
Maintaining credibility and legitimacy
METHOD
Among the steps taken by the community organizers to address lack of involvement
and improve public awareness were these:
Establishing a policy of inclusiveness
Holding open meetings
Making speeches to community groups
Obtaining public input
Making public announcement
Holding face-to-face meetings
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION LADDER

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PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

Participatory design is an attitude about a force for change in the creation

is thought of in terms of what is to be accomplished when there is an

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