Collaborative planning

From Geography

Collaborative planning is an approach developed by David Godschalk and William Mills in the 1960s. It promotes an extensive dialogue between planners and other stakeholders, mostly citizens. A planner has to inform the citizens about the possibilities, and then mapping the desires of this group. Discussion groups, or focus groups, and mass media can play a large role in this approach (Brooks, 2002, p. 150).

Collaborative planning is a dialogic form of decision-making. It catches up with big shifts in the modern society. Nowadays, postmodernism claims there is no universal truth. According to that, it is wrong to give one decision maker the full power. All stakeholders have the right to tell their opinion. Moreover, contemporary society is not only being directed by government. A lot of power is in the hands of entreprises, citizens, and non-governmental organizations (Brand & Gaffikin, 2007, p. 283). This highlights the importance of a planning approach in which governments communicate with other actors in society.

A drawback in collaborative planning is the paradox between the comprehensive communication between stakeholders, and the wish for quick decisions. At one hand, the planner wants to engage many people and groups, but at the other hand, most important decisions have to be made in a short time(Brand & Gaffikin, 2007, p. 283).

References

Brand, R. & Gaffikin, F. (2007). Collaborative planning in an uncollaborative world. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Brooks, M.P. (2002). Planning theory for practitioners. Chicago: American Planning Association.

Created by User:BoudewijnIdema, 6 October 2011, 11:45