Public participation is not a form of civic responsibility that it once was. With not only fewer people taking part in the public participation process, there is a trend towards an older (45 years and older) group of residents that come to such meetings or workshops. Plans, such as Specific Plans or General Plans often take years to implement and require all generations to give feedback on what is needed for the future. Additionally, within the last decade, there has been a rise in social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. These websites emerged as informal virtual places for friends to connect, but have slowly evolved into a tool for businesses, and more importantly, government to connect with constituents. This study explores the relationship between the decline of public participation with findings to support the reasons residents do not take part in the process, and the rise of social media as a tool for engagement with findings to support how cities nationwide use Facebook. Social media provides a two-way form of communication between the community and the local government which aides in promoting genuine participation. Additionally, social media allows for efficient outreach and noticing of meetings or public workshops. As opposed to newspaper or website noticing, websites such as Facebook allow for local governments to target a specific audience by location, age, or interests. Findings indicate that although many cities developed a Facebook Page to engage the “younger generation”, all ages became fans of the City operated Facebook Page. In addition, the findings show that the true potential of Facebook as a participatory tool have not been discovered. cities are developing their own ways of using it as a tool as there is no formal best practices manual for City planning departments. The findings of this study have provided the necessary information to develop a best practices manual for planning practitioners to utilize. The manual provides information on developing a Facebook Page as well as the implications of the technology.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study has focused on the evaluation of effectiveness of public participation programmes towards service delivery within the Capricorn District Municipality. Public participation is supported by various pieces of legislation, such as the Constitution (1996) and the Municipal Systems Act (2000), which has placed the community at the centre of development in the local government sphere. It also occupies a key position for development within local government, as it is important in assessing successes and failures of programmes. In this study, the researcher used interview schedules as an instrument to assess the effectiveness of public participation programmes towards service delivery within the Capricorn District Municipality. The researcher used this instrument to get the views of the respondents - in this case ward committees - about effectiveness of public participation programmes in the Aganang and Blouberg Local Municipalities as the area of the study. The findings of the research revealed that there is lack of effective participation in municipal programmes by the community due to a lack of confidence in the local authority, in terms of providing regular feedback on commitments made about service delivery. The findings also revealed that a lack of education plays a significant role for the effective participation of communities within the municipal programmes. Based on the findings of the research, recommendations were made that mechanisms should be implemented to monitor the impact of public participation programmes, building community capacity to engage with municipalities as well as strengthening current public participation mechanisms (such as the IDP consultation process, public hearings and outreach programmes).

<p>Miljökonsekvensbeskrivning, MKB, är ett redskap som används i Sverige och 120 andra länder och processen används för att förutse miljöpåverkan som kan komma att inträffa som ett resultat av olika projekt som etableras. I Sverige krävs MKB alltid för särskilda projekt, så som vägprojekt. Processen försöker inkorporera miljöaspekter i projekt och även ge allmänhet och intressenter möjlighet att yttra sig och ställa frågor kring projektet. Detta kallas att hålla samråd vilket ska hållas under hela MKB-processen. I Sverige finns lagar som begär att samråd hålls under processen, men forskning kring jämställdhet och samrådsförfarandet kallad JämSam visar att det är en överrepresentation av äldre män på dessa möten. Denna studie eftersträvar att i internationell MKB-litteratur undersöka om det förs en diskussion kring genus i samrådsprocessen och vad som, i händelse av en sådan, diskuteras.</p><p>Olika teorier rörande genus undersöktes och dessa tydde på att skillnader i genus beror på olik socialisation av kvinnor och män genom livet. Litteratur som rör genus och miljö visade att kvinnor har ett marginellt större interesse för miljöfrågor men att män är de som är mer aktivt deltagande.</p><p>Resultaten av studien var att väldigt lite material påträffades, vilket i sin tur visade att genusdiskussionen inom MKB-litteratur i princip är obefintlig. Majoriteten av artiklarna som hittades nämnde kvinnor eller genus i förbifarten och i samband med andra ämnen. Bara en artikel diskuterade djupare kring ämnet. Vidare studier på området och rörande hur samrådsförfarandet ska bli jämställt behövs för att få igång en debatt på området eftersom den nuvarande situationen inte för diskussionen framåt.</p> / <p>Environmental impact assessment, EIA, is a tool used in Sweden and in 120 other countries and the process is used to predict environmental impact of different projects that are established. An EIA is always a prerequisite for certain projects in Sweden, for instance highway projects. The process aims to incoporate environmental aspects in projects and also to give the public and other interest groups the opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions about the project. This is called public participation wich should take place during the entire EIA process. Sweden has laws that encourage public participation throughout the entire process, but research regarding gender equality and public participation called JämSam shows that elderly men are overrepresented at the public meetings. The purpose of this study is to examine if there is a discussion regarding gender equality and public participation in international EIA literature and, if so, what the articles encompass.</p><p>Different theories regarding gender equality were examined and they suggested that socialization is the cause of gender differences as women and men are treated diffrently throughout their entire lives. Gender equality and environment literature showed that women have a marginally higher intresst in environmental issues but that men are more active and participate more.</p><p>Very small amounts of material were found during the study, which shows that gender equality basically is nonexistent in EIA literature. The majority of the articles found only mentioned women or gender briefly and in relation to other subjects. Only one study found discussed the subject troughout the entire article. Further studies on gender equality in EIA literature and regarding making public participation gender equal is much-needed to initiate debate on this field, because the present situation does not move the discussion forward.</p>

En droit de lurbanisme et de lenvironnement, la participation du public correspond aux mécanismes juridiques qui permettent aux particuliers dinfluer sur ladoption, le contenu et la mise en uvre des décisions administratives unilatérales relatives au cadre de vie : enquête publique, commissions consultatives, concertation, initiative, comités daccompagnement, etc. Déjà fort ancienne, mais sinscrivant, plus récemment, dans le mouvement de modification de la manière de « faire de ladministration » initié par la loi de 1991 relative à la motivation formelle des actes administratifs, la participation du public revêt un grand intérêt dans lamélioration du fonctionnement de la démocratie. Son développement quantitatif et qualitatif, réclamé à cor et à cri par les particuliers et les associations de défense de lenvironnement, est désormais imposé par des textes internationaux et communautaires. Sa mise en uvre nest cependant pas sans entraîner certains inconvénients pratiques et sans soulever de délicates questions juridiques. Dans la première partie de louvrage, lauteur dresse de manière systématique létat du droit positif wallon de la participation : les décisions et actes administratifs qui y sont soumis, les personnes qui peuvent participer, les procédures quelles doivent suivre pour le faire et les effets juridiques de leur intervention. Après avoir évoqué lobligation de restructurer cette matière, lauteur fournit, dans la seconde partie de louvrage, les règles sur la base desquelles le droit positif devrait être contrôlé et remanié : Convention dAarhus, droit communautaire dérivé, droit institutionnel et des libertés publiques, droit interne. Enfin, en guise de conclusion générale, lauteur formule, à destination du législateur et des autorités administratives compétentes, une série de propositions concrètes de modifications du droit positif de la participation.

In the second half of the twentieth century we saw the environmental debate escalate into one of the most challenging and complex issues that authorities at international, national, regional and municipal levels have to deal with. The inherent complexity of environmental problems, which brings out the interconnections between the economic, socio-cultural and ecological dimensions of the territory, is increased by the social, scientific and political focuses of the debate, and their interdependencies. In the framework of governance, scientific and technical assessments are a relevant but not “unique” source for legitimating environmental policymaking. The discussion is opened towards the consideration of different existing perspectives on the environment. The main objective of the present study is to systematize and explore in-depth the perspectives brought by feminism and gender to environmental governance. What is the specificity of a feminist and gender outlook? In what sense does it bring new light to environmental governance processes? Such questions are explored empirically and theoretically. / Durant la segona meitat del segle XX hem assistit a l’escalada del debat ambiental fins a convertir-se en un dels reptes més complexes amb els que han d’enfrontar-se les autoritats tant a nivell internacional, nacional, regional com municipal. En el marc de la governança, l’assessorament científic i tècnic deixa de ser la única font possible per a legitimar la presa de decisió política respecte a la gestió del medi ambient. La discussió s’obre a la consideració de les diferents perspectives (científiques, socials i polítiques) que existeixen respecte al nostre entorn. El principal objectiu d’aquest estudi és explorar en profunditat i sistematitzar les perspectives que aporten els estudis de gènere i feministes a la governança del medi ambient. Quina és l’especificitat d’una mirada de gènere i feminista? En quin sentit aporten una nova llum als processos de la governança ambiental? Aquestes qüestions són explorades empírica i teòricament.

Consulting with the public on planning issues has become an endeavour formalized throughout Western democracies over the past half-century. However, there remains a dichotomy between the legislative minimums for this part of the planning process and the extraordinary efforts of some municipalities. Inefficiencies emerge as attempts are made by many municipalities to implement the contributions received, exposing the potentially different objectives held by each of the major consultation players. Academics suggest that the rationale for consultation appears to have advanced to the point where its value is beyond question, but that the means and frequency for its conduct are not. The literature on the subject is further split between that which focuses on the process of consultation and that which centres on its outcomes. Correspondingly, the fairness of consultation exercises can be viewed from the procedural and distributive points of view. To date, academic study in this field has largely been conducted along qualitative lines. Using a combination of questionnaires, interviews and a focus group to triangulate data received from the major players, an answer was sought to the hypothesis that consultation players possess distinct objectives for this planning exercise. The results indicated that planners and the public do subscribe to separate views for the purpose of consultation, which bias their paradigms of the other parties. Isolating other factors regarding each of these cohort groups further suggested that time, geography, and education often limit the participation of citizens, while planners feel constrained by time, apathy among participants, the political processes and certain fiscal realities. Therefore, changes to planning legislation are recommended that would indirectly reduce the burden for each of the major players by conducting anticipatory consultation. Such measures would reverse the onus of participating while requiring a lesser investment of staff and resources from municipalities. Future research would test the validity of this approach and engage political figures as the final cohort in the triangle of planning participation.

Several authors have challenged Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as inoperable and technocratic for the issues surrounding water resources known as contemporary water resource politics. As a result, new methods and analytical frameworks have been suggested for IWRM that have been qualified as interdisciplinary water research. Interdisciplinary water research is proposed to be context-based and focused on politics and management. Thus, principles underlying IWRM, such as public participation are gaining more attention because those principles enable sustainable water resource decisions to achieve socio-economic and ecological equity. This exploratory case study examines public participation in IWRM by looking at two villages in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Participatory activities used to incorporate villages into water resource decisions are evaluated at different levels of government up to an international river basin organization known as the Mekong River Commission (MRC). The study uses a critical Third World political ecology perspective to elucidate water resource politics surrounding low levels of participation found among IWRM institutions in Lao PDR. Findings also reveal public participation in water resource decisions is politically complex. The participation of villages in water resource development decisions was related to issues surrounding national policies such as poverty alleviation, land allocations, resettlement, and swidden agriculture. Meanwhile, other types of participation were found in which villages could maintain control over their water interests. The study concludes more research is required surrounding water resource politics to better identify more effective and genuine participation of people whose livelihoods are dependent on water resources.

Consulting with the public on planning issues has become an endeavour formalized throughout Western democracies over the past half-century. However, there remains a dichotomy between the legislative minimums for this part of the planning process and the extraordinary efforts of some municipalities. Inefficiencies emerge as attempts are made by many municipalities to implement the contributions received, exposing the potentially different objectives held by each of the major consultation players. Academics suggest that the rationale for consultation appears to have advanced to the point where its value is beyond question, but that the means and frequency for its conduct are not. The literature on the subject is further split between that which focuses on the process of consultation and that which centres on its outcomes. Correspondingly, the fairness of consultation exercises can be viewed from the procedural and distributive points of view. To date, academic study in this field has largely been conducted along qualitative lines. Using a combination of questionnaires, interviews and a focus group to triangulate data received from the major players, an answer was sought to the hypothesis that consultation players possess distinct objectives for this planning exercise. The results indicated that planners and the public do subscribe to separate views for the purpose of consultation, which bias their paradigms of the other parties. Isolating other factors regarding each of these cohort groups further suggested that time, geography, and education often limit the participation of citizens, while planners feel constrained by time, apathy among participants, the political processes and certain fiscal realities. Therefore, changes to planning legislation are recommended that would indirectly reduce the burden for each of the major players by conducting anticipatory consultation. Such measures would reverse the onus of participating while requiring a lesser investment of staff and resources from municipalities. Future research would test the validity of this approach and engage political figures as the final cohort in the triangle of planning participation.

Several authors have challenged Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as inoperable and technocratic for the issues surrounding water resources known as contemporary water resource politics. As a result, new methods and analytical frameworks have been suggested for IWRM that have been qualified as interdisciplinary water research. Interdisciplinary water research is proposed to be context-based and focused on politics and management. Thus, principles underlying IWRM, such as public participation are gaining more attention because those principles enable sustainable water resource decisions to achieve socio-economic and ecological equity. This exploratory case study examines public participation in IWRM by looking at two villages in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Participatory activities used to incorporate villages into water resource decisions are evaluated at different levels of government up to an international river basin organization known as the Mekong River Commission (MRC). The study uses a critical Third World political ecology perspective to elucidate water resource politics surrounding low levels of participation found among IWRM institutions in Lao PDR. Findings also reveal public participation in water resource decisions is politically complex. The participation of villages in water resource development decisions was related to issues surrounding national policies such as poverty alleviation, land allocations, resettlement, and swidden agriculture. Meanwhile, other types of participation were found in which villages could maintain control over their water interests. The study concludes more research is required surrounding water resource politics to better identify more effective and genuine participation of people whose livelihoods are dependent on water resources.

My research considers both the challenges to and opportunities for implementing Smart Growth strategies in the City of Guelph’s urban growth centre, with a particular focus on the St. Patrick’s Ward neighbourhood. I follow the development of the downtown secondary plan-making process, spanning the time period from March 2010 to June 2011, which includes public participation by residents in the St. Patrick’s Ward and the city at large. The plan-making process started prior to, and continues after, my chosen timeframe, but the information collected in my case study brings to light the complexity of drafting a secondary plan for implementing Smart Growth strategies; the plan should ideally establish a framework for local interpretation and implementation of Smart Growth – the widely supported intensification and redevelopment strategy. I take the view that while a plan can be written to code and be argued rationally by experts, its effectiveness and ethical validity is a function of public participation in planning decisions that include values-rational anchoring, i.e. critical and ethical reflection on the value of a goal. Although many guiding principles and recommendations in the draft Plan are based on Smart Growth strategies, the physical scale of urban intensification is today very much focused on density numbers under the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The City of Guelph’s draft Downtown Secondary Plan primarily seeks to facilitate high-density, mid- to high-rise condominium and/or office developments. This may in turn lead to increased spatial segregation based on socioeconomic differences. Like in Toronto, Guelph’s Downtown Secondary Plan deregulates zoning by-laws and reduces bureaucratic ‘red tape’ for the high-density development industry through more flexible policies. Potential socioeconomic consequences like displacement of entire populations, services, and jobs from the newly re-valued places are, however, not addressed in the Plan; the policy language and conceptual thinking appears primarily geared toward redevelopment and infill. The overall lesson learned from studying the plan-making process leading up to the City of Guelph’s 1st Draft Downtown Secondary Plan concerns the role of planning in implementing Smart Growth; being a specific form of urban planning, Smart Growth implementation requires facilitation and education of stakeholders who are willing to compromise, but not beyond the point where “smart” is removed from “growth”. Given the overarching responsibility of the government to drive home this message, every stakeholder working for the public interest must collaboratively define, steer, and direct the process and private interests at each and every step along the road. The case of Guelph demonstrates the difficulty of prioritizing such a responsibility. Thus, potential future pressures to push and undermine Smart Growth’s synergistic and public participatory core value must be monitored and controlled with long-term objectives in mind.