An integrative aproach to public participation and knowledge generation in design

Abstract

This paper describes the process and results of a community development project that provided an opportunity to implement and evaluate an integrative approach to planning and design. The approach is aimed at addressing some of the most vexing procedural and substantive issues in planning and design, including the integration of planning with design activities, generation and use of situational knowledge, and meaningful and active participation of the public in all phases of the planning and design activity. It reflects a worldview that acknowledges the need for a new definition of rationality based on the integration of knowledge, subject domains, and places across space to understand the connectedness among phenomena, a search for causes and solutions locally, collective appreciation by participatory action, and a shared vision of the future which embodies solutions generated within the community by the participants rather than imposed from without or by experts. The procedures used in the approach aimed at achieving collaborative social interaction and dialogue among participants who represent the breadth of community residents as well as cognitive facilitation to enhance the participants' capabilities to deal with complexity. The case study describes the setting, selection of participants and their characteristics, the procedures and techniques and the outcomes of the planning and design process. The process began with structuring the situation, followed by identification of future visions and their evaluation by the community residents, culminating in community designs. The results and methodological implications are discussed in the conclusions.