Beyond consensus : social learning in urban planning

Abstract

This thesis examines the alms and assumptions of deliberative urban planning. It addresses the need for more vigorous debate between planning theorists interested in uncoerced communication and democratic theorists concerned with promoting greater deliberation in politics. Two models of deliberative planning theory are identified in the analysis: a model of consensus building and a model of social learning. It is argued that the model of social learning is both more persuasive as a normative theory of planning and more useful as a description of the experiences of deliberation in planning, as described in this study. Analysis of the theory of deliberative planning is supported by empirical research. Three cases of urban planning in Christchurch, New Zealand are examined. A new institutionalist research methodology is adopted to analyse the case studies. The research techniques included: participant observation, focus group discussion and key informant interviews.

Empirical research identifies conditions for enhancing inclusive deliberation and social learning in urban planning. These are summarised as five conditions of social transformation in planning. Under these '5 Ts' attention is not simply paid to ways that enable new voices to speak, but also to the conditions under which those voices are heard and heeded. The conditions of social transformation include a treaty (or constitutional protections), talk plus (supplementing free and frank face to face discussion with other ways of encouraging social learning), the presence of third parties (informal and formal facilitators who encourage listening across difference), opportunities for transmission of the outcomes of deliberation and mechanisms to ensure transparency enhancing accountability in deliberation and subsequent decision-making. In conclusion discussion strengthens the theory of deliberative planning by qualification, identifying the limits of its application and considering the implications of research and theoretical discussion for urban planning practice in New Zealand.