ABSTRACT
In this chapter we make the case for seeking out and explicitly incorporating local and
other lay knowledge into planning and public processes because inclusion of such
knowledge is critical, not only to social and environmental justice, but also to resilience
of our systems. Though such knowledge is more pervasive and, at times, more persuasive
to decision makers than formal “scientific” knowledge, in both the scholarship and
practice of planning and public policy, it is little noted and if noted, often not regarded as
knowledge. Formal research however defines and narrows issues and takes us only part
way to action (Weiss 1979). Information must be embedded in lay understandings if it is
to be relevant, much less acted upon (Lindblom and Cohen 1979). Local knowledge fills
gaps, provides information about context, and offers pragmatic, experience-based insights
from those who know a situation firsthand. Local knowledge can challenge dominant
professional discourses. Including lay voices, especially those of marginalized people who
seldom have an impact on the decisions that affect their lives, is a matter of justice and
authentic democracy.
