WHAT ROLE FOR CITIZENS?

Citizen participation can and does take a variety of forms and will result in different roles for citizens in planning and policy-making processes. This paper describes and compares the citizen participation strategies used in two recent regional transportation planning projects in King County, Washington. The purpose of this analysis is to determine how citizen participation strategies differ according to the planning issue and its importance in the community and how such strategies provide different opportunities for citizens to become involved and to influence the planning process. The analysis and comparison focus on several key aspects of the programs: recruitment techniques, structure and process of involvement, and the citizen's role and impact on the planning process. The analysis finds that where the issue, such as the airport study, is important in the community a loosely structured, citizen-defined involvement program is more effective. Advocate planners are beneficial in this instance. For a nonsalilent, or less visible, issue such as the countywide transit plan, a more tightly structured involvement program that emphasizes educating citizens is effective in stimulating citizen input. This strategy relies on planner-defined activities with all citizens playing the same role. The information for this analysis is based on a survey and study done in the Metro 1980 transit planning study and on involvement in the initial stages of the

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1975/555/555-003.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=WHAT+ROLE+FOR+CITIZENS%3F&author=M.+Curry&publication_year=1975
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309024617
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Citizen Participation in Transportation Planning. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Curry, Martha
• Discussers:
  • Gunby, Virginia K
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 23-36
• Monograph Title: Citizen's Role in Transportation Planning
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 555
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Impacts; Public participation; Social values; Transportation planning
• Uncontrolled Terms: Activity
• Old TRIS Terms: Community values; Strategy
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00130420
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309024617
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 14 1981 12:00AM