Heads I win, Tails you lose: Information, power, and the illusion of choice in participatory planning

(no note) Disclaimer UWE has obtained warranties from all depositors as to their title in the material deposited and as to their right to deposit such material. UWE makes no representation or warranties of commercial utility, title, or fitness for a particular purpose or any other warranty, express or implied in respect of any material deposited. UWE makes no representation that the use of the materials will not infringe any patent, copyright, trademark or other property or proprietary rights. UWE accepts no liability for any infringement of intellectual property rights in any material deposited but will remove such material from public view pending investigation in the event of an allegation of any such infringement. Participatory planning is becoming an increasingly common means by which governments seek to make decisions on planning issues facing cities. Citizens and stakeholders participate in such processes in the hope of influencing planning decisions. Planning theorists propose the concept of technical rationality be replaced by a communicative rationality that values all information and knowledge. This shift in planning thought parallels an increase in participatory decision-making processes, particularly processes developed in accordance with deliberative democracy principles, being employed by governments. The Western Australian Government initiated a deliberative planning process, 'Dialogue with the City', in September 2003 to develop a long-term metropolitan plan for Perth. This paper argues that information about planning problems and their potential solutions was used selectively by the Government in this process to convey an illusion of choice for participants. Throgmorton (2003) describes planning as 'persuasive story-telling' about the future. These planning stories shape meaning and direct public attention, encouraging the adoption of preferred options (Forester 1989; Hillier 1993). Planners have significant power in public participation processes as they control the information participants consider and act upon. This paper examines the use of visual information in the 'Dialogue with the City' deliberative forum, the key participatory event in the process, and draws on the author's doctoral research. It is argued that information in the form of urban growth models for the city was presented by the Government in a directed fashion so that participants would select a predetermined option-choice was therefore an illusion.