The community participation process in planning refers to the active involvement of residents, community organizations, and other stakeholders in the development and implementation of planning decisions. This process is intended to ensure that the needs and perspectives of the community are taken into account and that plans reflect the priorities and values of the people they will impact.
Community participation is provided and facilitated by various legal provisions. In many countries constitution provides the basic framework for empowerment of both the urban local government and the citizens. The mechanism of creation of Wards Committees, local groups, self help groups etc provides the structure for citizens’ participation. Institutions of local government are highly participatory, primarily by virtue of their close interface with local communities.
The steps involved in a typical community participation process may include:
Outreach and education: The planning authorities conduct outreach efforts to educate the community about the planning process and to encourage participation.
Gathering public input: The planning authorities may hold public meetings, surveys, and other events to gather input and feedback from the community.
Analyzing feedback: The feedback and input collected from the community is analyzed to determine the key concerns and priorities of the community.
Incorporating feedback: The feedback is used to inform and shape the planning decisions and proposals.
Monitoring and evaluation: The planning authorities monitor the implementation of the plans and evaluate the results to determine their effectiveness and make changes as needed.
Overall, community participation in the planning process is essential to ensuring that planning decisions reflect the needs and priorities of the community and promote equitable outcomes
Participation can be viewed from different perspectives and there are several types of participation. They include:
Passive Participation: People participate by being told what is going to happen or has already happened through unilateral announcement by administration.
Participation in Information Giving: People participate by answering questions posted by extractive researchers using questionnaire surveys or similar approaches and do not have the opportunity to influence proceedings.
Participation by Consultation: People participate by being consulted, and external people listen to views and may modify these in the light of people’s responses but do not involve them in decision-making.
Participation for Material Incentives: People participate by providing resources, for example labour, in return for food, cash, or other material incentives, yet people have no stake in prolonging activities when the incentives end.
Functional Participation: People participate by forming groups to meet predetermined objectives related to the project after major decisions have been made.
Interactive Participation: People participate in joint analysis, development of action plans, and formation or strengthening of local institutions.
Self-mobilisation: People participate by taking initiatives independent of external institutions to change systems. They develop contacts with external institutions for resources and the technical advice they need, but retain control over how resources are used.
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