This thesis examines participatory Urban Planning as an emerging application area for Participatory Design. Through testing and analysis traditional methods and concepts from Interaction and Participatory Design demonstrate how Participatory Design can contribute to current practices within participatory Urban Planning. Literature research provides a base on which to analyze the designer’s roles acting within Urban Planning. Research findings concerning the redevelopment of the RAW-arena in Berlin suggest the adjustment of traditional Participatory Design operating principles, such as user-centeredness into citizen-centeredness. The Participatory Designer’s traditional roles of a facilitator and translator extend by the role of a mediator, advocate, connector and activist when acting in the context of Urban Planning. The research presents a thorough description of the design process, workshops and interventions on-site.

Urbanization and the growth of populations in cities have led to increased exposure and vulnerability to social and environmental changes, such as natural disasters like floods and climate change uncertainties creating complex social dynamics. Cities as tourist destinations are especially susceptible to such disruptions, as their infrastructure and overall aesthetic contribute significantly to their value, ensuring employment opportunities and public well-being. Consequently, discussions have arisen about the need for cities and communities to adopt resilience thinking in order to prepare for potential stresses and shocks. Although there are established frameworks for creating inclusive resilience strategies that encourage community engagement and participation, limited literature exists on how integrated urban resilience thinking is in transdisciplinary efforts for sustainable urban development. Therefore, this paper explores how participation is integrated in resilience building efforts in urban areas studying the case of Dresden, Germany. It starts with a description of the underlying concepts, followed by a classification of the investigation case laying out the legal and political framework focusing on the concepts of participation, and co-creation in the context of participatory urban resilience. The study further investigates how citizen participation is discussed and implemented in this field by analyzing nine expert interviews. The findings suggest that participatory approaches hold significant potential for improving multistakeholder cooperation, promoting social innovation, and building resilience capacities. However, several systemic challenges are uncovered which would require structural reforms to enable a resilient urban development for Dresden as a destination and its citizens.

This thesis considers the possibilities of urban space for lived democratic practice. Taking up the debate on ‘the good way’ of involving citizens in urban planning, I employ theories of deliberative democracy and agonistic pluralism to examine participatory planning around the case of Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin, Germany. After its closure, the former airport Berlin Tempelhof turned into a public open space in 2010. Although there were plans of a partial development, an initiative-led bottom-up participation introduced a prohibition of permanent building development on Tempelhofer Feld in 2014. As one condition of the initiative, a combination of institutionalised and bottom-up participation has been established. The current conservative government of Berlin considers abolishing the prohibition of real-estate development. It thus disregards the importance of Tempelhofer Feld as a space for recreational and leisure activities, its importance for biodiversity and urban climate regulation and as a symbol of democratic achievements. Through a lens of deliberative democracy and agonistic pluralism, this thesis focuses on the participation process since the referendum in 2014, from the perspective of urban planners, activists and those in-between. The two guiding research questions are: Which aspects of deliberative democracy and agonistic pluralism can be found in statements by relevant actors during the participation process on Tempelhofer Feld since the referendum in 2014? How does the Senate’s plan to adjust the Tempelhofer Feld law affect the current participation in light of these theories? In line with the theoretical framework of deliberative democracy and agonistic pluralism, I developed four themes that can be divided into a deliberative or agonistic understanding of participatory planning: “role of the planning administration”, “understanding of conflict”, “goals in dealing with conflict”, and “understanding of participation”. To investigate the different actors’ perspectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key actors, in addition to a document analysis, and participant observation. The main findings hold that the current Senate department for urban planning does not allow for productive conflict by shifting the understanding of conflict in a way that denies its own biased role. Additionally, I consider the current bottom-up participation model as an agonistic alternative to participatory planning introduced by the Senate department. Due to its abundance of different participation approaches, Tempelhofer Feld can be considered a significant case for urban planning scholars interested in participatory planning, also beyond Germany and Berlin.

Esta dissertação trata da participação no planejamento urbano, entendida como processo de tomada de decisão aberto à cidadania envolvendo temas que afetam a vida de grupos e indivíduos no uso e apropriação do espaço urbano. Como estudo de caso, é analisado o processo de elaboração do Plano Diretor de Desenvolvimento Urbano Ambiental de Porto Alegre (PDDUA). A pesquisa identifica e caracteriza seus protagonistas e os espaços de tomada de decisão, situando essa experiência de participação no embate entre abordagens racional-compreensiva e democrático-participativa e buscando qualificá-la como expressão do planejamento urbano efetivamente praticado no país. A pergunta "quem de fato participou da elaboração do PDDUA?" orientou a realização da pesquisa, que empregou diferentes procedimentos metodológicos, quantitativos e qualitativos. A experiência do PDDUA mostrou-se rica para a análise, indicando que a vontade política e o compromisso governamental são elementos fundamentais, porém insuficientes, para a prática do planejamento democrático-participativo. / This dissertation discusses participation in urban planning, understood as a decision-making processes open to citizens and involving issues that affect the life of groups and individuals as to the use and appropriation of the urban space. The case studied is the development process of the Urban and Environmental Development Master Plan of Porto Alegre (PDDUA). The study identifies and characterizes the protagonists and the decision-making spaces, situating this participation experience in the confrontation between rational-comprehensible and democratic-participatory approaches, and characterizing it as the expression of how urban planning is effectively practiced in Brazil. The question "Who actually participated in the PDDUA development?" guided the study, which employed different quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analysis of the PPDUA experience indicated that political will and government commitment are essential, albeit insufficient, elements for the practice of democratic-participatory planning.

Esta dissertação trata da participação no planejamento urbano, entendida como processo de tomada de decisão aberto à cidadania envolvendo temas que afetam a vida de grupos e indivíduos no uso e apropriação do espaço urbano. Como estudo de caso, é analisado o processo de elaboração do Plano Diretor de Desenvolvimento Urbano Ambiental de Porto Alegre (PDDUA). A pesquisa identifica e caracteriza seus protagonistas e os espaços de tomada de decisão, situando essa experiência de participação no embate entre abordagens racional-compreensiva e democrático-participativa e buscando qualificá-la como expressão do planejamento urbano efetivamente praticado no país. A pergunta "quem de fato participou da elaboração do PDDUA?" orientou a realização da pesquisa, que empregou diferentes procedimentos metodológicos, quantitativos e qualitativos. A experiência do PDDUA mostrou-se rica para a análise, indicando que a vontade política e o compromisso governamental são elementos fundamentais, porém insuficientes, para a prática do planejamento democrático-participativo. / This dissertation discusses participation in urban planning, understood as a decision-making processes open to citizens and involving issues that affect the life of groups and individuals as to the use and appropriation of the urban space. The case studied is the development process of the Urban and Environmental Development Master Plan of Porto Alegre (PDDUA). The study identifies and characterizes the protagonists and the decision-making spaces, situating this participation experience in the confrontation between rational-comprehensible and democratic-participatory approaches, and characterizing it as the expression of how urban planning is effectively practiced in Brazil. The question "Who actually participated in the PDDUA development?" guided the study, which employed different quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analysis of the PPDUA experience indicated that political will and government commitment are essential, albeit insufficient, elements for the practice of democratic-participatory planning.

Esta dissertação trata da participação no planejamento urbano, entendida como processo de tomada de decisão aberto à cidadania envolvendo temas que afetam a vida de grupos e indivíduos no uso e apropriação do espaço urbano. Como estudo de caso, é analisado o processo de elaboração do Plano Diretor de Desenvolvimento Urbano Ambiental de Porto Alegre (PDDUA). A pesquisa identifica e caracteriza seus protagonistas e os espaços de tomada de decisão, situando essa experiência de participação no embate entre abordagens racional-compreensiva e democrático-participativa e buscando qualificá-la como expressão do planejamento urbano efetivamente praticado no país. A pergunta "quem de fato participou da elaboração do PDDUA?" orientou a realização da pesquisa, que empregou diferentes procedimentos metodológicos, quantitativos e qualitativos. A experiência do PDDUA mostrou-se rica para a análise, indicando que a vontade política e o compromisso governamental são elementos fundamentais, porém insuficientes, para a prática do planejamento democrático-participativo. / This dissertation discusses participation in urban planning, understood as a decision-making processes open to citizens and involving issues that affect the life of groups and individuals as to the use and appropriation of the urban space. The case studied is the development process of the Urban and Environmental Development Master Plan of Porto Alegre (PDDUA). The study identifies and characterizes the protagonists and the decision-making spaces, situating this participation experience in the confrontation between rational-comprehensible and democratic-participatory approaches, and characterizing it as the expression of how urban planning is effectively practiced in Brazil. The question "Who actually participated in the PDDUA development?" guided the study, which employed different quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analysis of the PPDUA experience indicated that political will and government commitment are essential, albeit insufficient, elements for the practice of democratic-participatory planning.