ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the governance of the design and implementation of a local food action planning process, with keen attention to the use of power by different actors and the context within which power dynamics operated. This case is interesting because a civil society organization was on equal footing, despite power differentials, with a city health department and a county economic development and planning department in a local government planning process. As such, the questions I will explore in this case are the following: What led to a civil society organization (CSO) becoming a collaborative planning partner in this planning process? What does governance look like in practice, including structuring decision-making and influencing others? What is the resultant governance structure, with particular attention paid to the CSO, post-planning? Using a participatory research approach, in addition to document analysis and interviews, I demonstrate that the governance process was undergirded by an informal, trust-laden network, which enabled power-sharing and the reconciliation of norms and values between organizations, resulting in an innovative public planning design. In the end, the collaborative governance structure transformed into a long-term regime, with the CSO maintaining its role in decision-making and implementation.
