ABSTRACT
If, as professionals, we do not know what communities need and want-then we need to ask. If we want to develop sustainable communities then we need to talk. Public participation strategies will work if they take account of diversity and equality of communities. As we saw in Chapter 2 there are a number of recognized approaches to planning and although the collaborative approach to planning, with participation as a core principle, is the approach which would seem to naturally make use of the equality and diversity lenses, all can benefit from the insight which an equality and diversity perspective can give. Chapter 4 went on to examine how equality and diversity issues can be mainstreamed and built into the development plan process at a whole range of spatial scales. This chapter considers some of the key issues facing public participation in diverse communities. In the same way that mainstreaming can enhance the effectiveness of the different approaches to planning, participation is appropriate to and should inform all approaches to planning. Drawing on interdisciplinary work, the chapter begins with a look at how public participation has evolved the principles of ethical participation and the barriers to effective participation. Governments look for best practice across the world. Five international case studies illustrate the use of a range of approaches to engage different groups of people. They show contemporary examples at different spatial scales using both low and high technology techniques. The chapter concludes with a consideration of how the techniques highlighted in the case studies contribute to effective participation and what the issues are for the future.
