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Participation: Empowerment in Practice

Traditionally, decisions about design and planning have incorporated limited public input. This top-down process has been questioned at various times in the twentieth century through alternative participatory strategies. But the promise of participation has not been realized at a large scale. Now, at the beginning…

APR 19 – JUL 24, 2012

Michael Hooper, Curator

News

Rahul Mehrotra interviewed in New York Times

In a recent interview with India Ink, a New York Times blog, Professor Rahul Mehrotra discusses the rise of “parasitic” gated communities in India’s cities, and the need for planning experts in its smaller towns. Read the full interview.

May 31, 2012

News

Michael Hooper writes on slum dweller mobilization in Environment and Urbanization

Michael Hooper, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, and his colleague Leonard Ortolano at Stanford have published results from their research on slum dweller mobilization in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Their recent paper, in the journal Environment and Urbanization, examines factors motivating slum dweller participation in physically and politically risky social movement activities. The research looked at grassroots mobilization around a large-scale eviction in the city's Kurasini ward. The study's results suggest that the dynamics of participatory decision making are more complex than usually assumed by planners, policymakers and community organizers alike. 

Apr 30, 2012