Shrinking democracy? Analyzing participatory planning for vacancy and abandonment in Ohio

ABSTRACT

Numerous scholars have analyzed how local government and policymakers respond to urban decline and suggested a range of strategies. Yet relatively few studies have investigated public participation in the planning and implementation of reuse strategies for vacant land and abandoned structures, especially in the American context. Using an adapted version of an existing analytical framework named the Democracy Cube, this paper assesses public engagement in planning processes around vacancy and abandonment based on three key characteristics: participant recruitment, communication mode, and authority. Our results indicate that four medium-sized Ohio cities with relatively high levels of vacancy—Mansfield, Lima, Youngstown, and Hamilton—relied on three broad types of public engagement between 2005 and 2015. This analysis provides a new tool for practitioners to consider a range of options when designing participatory planning processes. Scholars can use this method to assess the relationships between participation, representation, and outcomes.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Office of Outreach and Engagement and the Knowlton School for their support. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Torey Hollingsworth, Mary Turner, David Kilroy and Tori Luckenbach for research assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ohio State University’s Office of Outreach and Engagement under its 2015 Engagement Impact Grant and the Knowlton School under a 2016 Voss grant.

Notes on contributors

Mattijs van Maasakkers

Mattijs van Maasakkers is an Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning in the Knowlton School at Ohio State University. His research focuses on questions of science and technology in the context of participatory decision-making on land use. Other publications include his monograph The Creation of Markets for Ecosystem Services in the United States: The Challenge of Trading Places (Anthem Press, 2016). He holds PhD (2013) and MCP (2009) degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Originally from the Netherlands, van Maasakkers graduated with a master’s degree in political science from the University of Amsterdam in 2006.

Jeeson Oh

Jeeson Oh is a PhD candidate in City and Regional Planning in the Knowlton School at Ohio State University. Her research interest concerns urban political economy in transitioning cities with a focus on the emerging roles of philanthropic foundations in urban governance and urban economic development. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Architecture from the University of Minnesota.

Emily Knox

Emily Knox is a landscape designer and Visiting Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and a BS in City and Regional Planning from Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the role of design in large-scale landscapes and social-ecological systems, specifically in the ranching landscapes of the Patagonian steppe and the American West.