The double connection: towards a bi-directional notion of participation

Abstract

Self-organised initiatives are increasingly recognised as an alternative to the structural deficit of participatory planning approaches, both in theory and in practice. Nevertheless, public governance is struggling to find ways to deal with such initiatives. This article identifies four prominent categories of self-organised practice, analysing the main motivation to engage in and with these practices, from the perspective of government as well as the self-organised actors. This is in turn linked to three prominent theoretical answers on how governments might deal with self-organisation. Lastly, we reflect on the complexities of a possible double connection between policymakers and self-organisations.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tim Devos

Tim Devos is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Mobility and Spatial Planning at Ghent University. His research focuses on socio-spatial issues, participatory planning and the role of the urban planner and designer in a changing field. He co-founded and manages Endeavour, a team of architects, urban planners and social scientists that aims to make the way we design and plan our cities more inclusive and sustainable through research and innovation.

Luuk Boelens

Luuk Boelens is an Emeritus Professor in Mobility and Spatial Planning at Ghent University. He is a co-founder of Urban Unlimited, a spatial consultancy in networked urbanism. His recent research focuses on the application of the actor-relational approach in planning with regard to several spatial challenges in Flanders, Belgium and Europe. He is the writer and inspirer of various ground-breaking articles and monographs such as ‘The Urban Connection (2010)’, ‘Opening up the Planning Landscape (2020)’ and the special ‘A Flat Ontology in Spatial Planning’.