Why should the public participate in planning? And who are the stakeholders who are required to participate in the planning process? This guide assesses public and stakeholder participation in the planning process, which is a statutory requirement across the entire scope and scale of planning activities in many global contexts. It provides a historical overview of participation and outlines how this has evolved over time. It then outlines a series of key issues for the contemporary planning professional in terms of their approach to public and stakeholder participation, particularly in light of alterations in landscapes of governance and recent social, political and technological developments.

Illustrated with mostly UK and European case studies, but also drawing insights from further afield, the book also provides a framework for critiquing contemporary participation, including an assessment of the pitfalls, obstacles and unintended consequences of participation efforts. As such, it identifies key principles for participation and asks critical questions for its assessment.