Participative planning is characterised by an interaction between different stakeholders where the influence of the different parties on the problem statement, goals and their influence on decisions may be different in different situations. Both the planning process and the way in which this is executed have to be contingent with the problem situation and the goals.An investigation into the impact of participative planning in the Dutch village of Wassenaar shows, that the participants have a positive attitude with respect to the process, and that this attitude is reinforced. They have greater confidence that they will be able to contribute in a positive way. The confidence increases after the participation. The same applies to the experienced need to have influence on the planning process. The expectations of the participants with respect to the possibilities of the authorities to solve the problems decrease further. The consequence might be, that the authorities have more possibilities for satisfying the reduced, more realistic expectations. The strengthening of support also appears to be possible without the direct influence of the citizens on the decisions. (A)
Abstract