Performing planning: understanding community participation in planning through theatre

Cowie, Paul

Town Planning Review (2017), 88, (4), 401–421.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2017.26
Language: English
Pages: 21

Abstract

Greater public participation in planning has long been a goal for planning professionals. In practice what often takes place is the dreaded ‘community consultation’ process. There is often a gulf between a community’s enthusiasm and creativity on the one hand and the strictures of the statutory planning process on the other. This article reports on a performance-based project which explored issues of representation and legitimacy in participatory planning. The use of theatre to investigate participatory planning has proved to be a powerful tool which has sparked enthusiasm, interest and imagination.

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