ABSTRACT
The common theme that emerged from the various approaches to community architecture was participation: the involvement of the people affected by development in taking decisions about their own environment. Participation was never an easy process. From the start it was bedevilled with controversy about whether user involvement genuinely affected decisions or whether participation was an elaborate facade to protect the powers of professionals and development agencies and siphon off protest. Some saw the only guarantee of democratic design in users taking control of the design and development process. But user control proved an illusion. Regardless of ownership and control, effective participation requires a sincere commitment on the part of designers and funders to enter a creative partnership with those who use their products. Even where there was a genuine will to involve users, there was considerable uncertainty about how to do it and how to make it effective. Over the years, through trial and error, a range of techniques has emerged that allow the consumers of the built environment an effective input in shaping its form.
