Qualitative perception on participatory planning policy and practice: evidence from seven Serbian cities

Abstract

The evaluation of planning policies and practices has mostly been lagging behind planning activity. The evaluation of participation seems even more perplexed if taken that it has to inevitably deal with the question of values, processes and outcomes, but also the fact that such practices do not exist in a vacuum and are exposed to various internal and external dynamics. An evaluation study of public participation was carried out in seven (7) Serbian cities. The methodological approach is grounded in an interpretive analysis of policy and practice, where planners were interviewed over the course of two years after introducing an additional level of participation in planning legislation. The results imply that procedural participation represents no guarantee of actual changes in outcomes of planning, and that practical experimentation beyond minimal legal obligations may do more for achieving visible and less visible results in the field of deliberation and governance.