ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we try to explore the concepts of participation and leadership – as well as possible complementarities between the two – in the theory of spatial planning.
The concept of participation, rooted as it is in the anarchist (i.e. anti-hierarchical and non-state-centred) school of thought that nurtured an important part of the planning movement, has occupied a crucial place throughout the history of planning. Although the fundamental role of participation in the construction of the discipline has long been denied, some of its key features such as community involvement in planning processes still form the basic content of many current planning practices (see pages 234-236).
