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Publication #1, 2001
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A cornerstone of sustainable development is the
involvement of people in decision-making processes. In this publication
ICSC presents an overview of the role that public participation
and multi-party processes play in the progress toward the sustainable
development of cities.
In 1987 in the foreword to Our Common Future,
Gro Harlem Brundtland called for, "...a common endeavor and
for new norms of behavior at all levels and in the interests of
all. Brundtland adds, "The changes in attitudes, in social
values, and in aspirations that the report urges will depend on
vast campaigns of education, debate and public participation."
Simply put, if you want to change the decisions that are made
you have to change the way those decisions are made.
ICSC has been working in the field of sustainability
since our formation in 1993. Our success and that of our partners
has been largely due to our commitment to multi-party (or multi-stakeholder)
participatory processes. Whether it has been bringing together
the waste-pickers, the tourist industry, NGOs, city officials
or politicians to solve problems of solid waste in South East
Asia, or helping to bring those affected by transportation issues
together in Poland, ICSC's role has been one of a facilitator
as well as an expert. We are as concerned about the process as
about the subject matter. Neither can be ignored. The following
articles illustrate different approaches to public participation
in different settings and for different objectives.
Public participation is increasingly supported by
aid agencies and multi-lateral organizations. The rise of civil
society organizations has been heralded in the past decade as
a significant trend throughout the world. Too often, however,
governments and the private sector are ill-prepared to respond
to the expectations of those civil society organizations. The
Organization of American States has come to acknowledge that,
just as it must focus on capacity building with NGOs to enhance
their ability to participate in decision-making processes, so
too, it must assist governments and corporations to enhance their
ability to respond to the demands and aspirations of civil society.
In the following pages, ICSC explores several dimensions
of public participation and multi-party processes as they relate
to issues of urban sustainability.
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Degrees of Public Involvement1
1. Persuasion: The use of public awareness
techniques (such as social marketing or public awareness
campaigns) to change attitudes without raising public expectations
of participating in the planning or decision-making process.
2. Education: The use of information
and instruction to create an awareness of programs and issues
and to change attitudes and behavior (i.e. nutritional programs
for new mothers).
3. Consultation: The use of formal
dialogue between authorities and the public based on explicit
objectives (i.e. environmental impact assessments, public
hearings). Those who participate expect their opinions to
be taken into account in the decisions made by the authorities.
4. Partnerships: The use of joint planning
and shared decision-making. The public, through representatives
(stakeholders) is given voting and decision-making authority.
(i.e. some Round Tables).
5. Delegated authority: The contractual
transfer of responsibilities, normally associated with the
authority, to representatives of the public or other levels
of government possessing the necessary expertise. (i.e.
the use of NGOs to implement programs such as foster care).
6. Self Determination: The undertaking
of the planning, decision-making and implementation process
by the public directly (i.e. People Power in EDSA in the
Philippines, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the replacement
of the government in Czechoslovakia)
1 Adapted
from a chart produced by Richard Roberts for the Federal Environmental
Assessment Review Office, 1988, Canada |
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Copyright ICSC 2000 |