The Quality of Participatory Design: The Effects of Citizen Input on the Design of the Boston Southwest Corridor

Abstract

In spite of the increase of citizen participation in urban design in recent years, few studies have addressed how professional designers evaluate the quality of work resulting from it. This study used interviews to explore the attitudes of a group of architects and landscape architects who worked on the Boston Southwest Corridor between 1976 and 1986. Three chief areas were examined: designers' ratings of the quality of participatory design, their evaluation of citizens' aesthetic contributions, and reactions to community wishes as they encountered them. The article concludes with recommendations for future participatory design projects.