Urban and Regional Research Program

Professor The aim of this study is to address a key empirical knowledge gap related to the general public's willingness and ability to engage with planning systems and the structural capacity of planning systems to accommodate public involvement. The study will theorise an innovative approach to effective community engagement in planning policy that reflects: (1) the general public's knowledge and desire to participate in planning matters; and (2) the structural capacity of the NSW planning system to accommodate community engagement. In this study, community engagement is understood as a broader civic process that acknowledges and accounts for the structural constraints of the NSW planning system, the apparent apathy and/or misunderstanding of planning concerns and processes by citizens, and the many extra-planning governance system actors use to contribute to planning governance. This study is not about revising the existing suite of participatory planning models. By contrast, the study will analyse the civic, political and social context within which these tools of community engagement and/or participatory planning are deployed and practiced Institute

This project is funded by the Henry Halloran Trust

Contacts:

Dr Dallas Rogers (opens in a new window)
Dr Laura Schatz (opens in a new window) 
Dr Awais Piracha (opens in a new window) 
Dr Cameron McAuliffe (opens in a new window)