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Consultants as intermediaries: Their perceptions on citizen involvement in urban development

Author

Listed:
  • EW Stapper
  • M Van der Veen

    (Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands)

  • LB Janssen-Jansen

Abstract

Planning consultants are increasingly hired to organize citizen participation processes for urban development projects. However, the ways in which planning consultants engage in and perceive the involvement of citizens in urban development projects remain relatively understudied. This article opens the black box of consultancy employees’ perceptions toward citizens in urban development processes. Employees from two consultancy firms in the Netherlands were interviewed, and several focus groups were organized. This research shows that consultants have wide-ranging views concerning the ways of incorporating citizens’ interests in urban development projects. With the use of Q-methodology, a typology of how consultants engage with citizens is proposed. Furthermore, we show that the different perceptions of consultants lead to a different approach in identifying the needs and problems of citizens. This finding gives insight into the context in which decisions about urban development are made.

Suggested Citation

  • EW Stapper & M Van der Veen & LB Janssen-Jansen, 2020. "Consultants as intermediaries: Their perceptions on citizen involvement in urban development," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 38(1), pages 60-78, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:38:y:2020:i:1:p:60-78
    DOI: 10.1177/2399654419853583
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Bipashyee Ghosh & Saurabh Arora, 2022. "Smart as (un)democratic? The making of a smart city imaginary in Kolkata, India," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 40(1), pages 318-339, February.
    3. Surajit Chakravarty & Mohammed S Bin Mansoor & Bibek Kumar & Priya Seetharaman, 2023. "Challenges of consultant-led planning in India’s smart cities mission," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(5), pages 1375-1393, June.
    4. Siraprapa Panthong & Viriya Taecharungroj, 2021. "Which CSR Activities Are Preferred by Local Community Residents? Conjoint and Cluster Analyses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-16, September.

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