ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, regional and local governments have adopted a proactive stance in order to face the challenge of economic decline, under conditions of scarce resources, rising citizen needs and often with inadequate or ineffective planning instruments (Moulaert, 2000). The traditional planning model, which tried to manage growth by defining zones and building densities, has been replaced (with considerable variation between countries) by strategic spatial planning, whose aim is to foster growth by focusing on larger projects (Douay, 2010). Whereas the traditional planning model was dominated by experts and elected politicians, private sector actors and civil society groups today influence planning decisions through a number of means. Added to this, the social composition of towns and cities has become less homogeneous, requiring sensitivity to cultural issues. Obviously, planners need new methods for staging inclusive processes as well as for selecting, designing and implementing projects which are to make real the orientations of the negotiated plan (Albrechts, 2004).
