ABSTRACT
Participation in design and planning has come to be construed by professionals and policymakers as an acceptable concept that can be applied to different community problems. However, in most instances, serious demands and responsibilities are placed upon participants. In addition to concern with technical complexity, sound design principles must also be incorporated into the development process. Without guidance, community groups may respond only to crisis situations and subsequently cannot achieve the broad goals that originally united the group. Often community participants cannot draw upon personal experiences for resolving building conflicts and may select courses of action that create unforeseen, deleterious consequences. Therefore, the management of participatory efforts directed at environmental change is important.
