The scope for public participation in urban policy: A case study of Gear

Public participation has increased in popularity over the last two decades as a result of both philosophical and pragmatic considerations. The belief that within our 'democratic' society each person ought to have the right to be informed about matters which affect them, has been strengthened as a result of the failure of politicians and officials to identify public preferences. This has led to a questioning of plans and decisions that have been taken on behalf of the wider public. The need to accommodate these developments became most evident in the seventies, initially relating to inner city problems. The aim of this research is to examine how far participation has actually been 'accommodated', more explicit objectives follow in the introductory chapter. Whilst it has been suggested (Sewell and Coppock, 1977) that in an era when authority is being questioned more and more, participation will consequently be demanded, it is also apparent that there now appear to be an increasing number of constraints to achieving effective participation. Within urban policy, changing trends have influenced the nature of these constraints and as a result the 'scope' for participation is now being questioned. This research is therefore concerned with providing an insight into participation, highlighting the limitations to its development, which given the present trends in urban policy appear to be restricting the opportunity for participation even further