Citizen participation in the Netherlands : motives to involve citizens in planning processes

Many post-war areas in Europe are suffering from diverse physical, economic and social problems, such as bad housing quality, high numbers of joblessness and declining levels of social cohesion. This holds especially for large housing estates. To counteract this development, policymakers and stakeholders have joined hands. Most of these actors subscribe to the idea that not only physical, but also social and economic solutions are needed. Involving citizens in local policymaking is believed to be of major importance here, not only because citizen participation can enhance social cohesion, but... Mehr ...