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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Jean Hillier
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Planning in Western liberal democracies generally demonstrates implementation of a broadly utilitarian notion of ‘the public good’. Moves towards greater citizen involvement in planning practice reflect theoretical emphasis on the public sphere and on permitting ‘the voices of the people’ to enter more directly into planning decision making. In reality, however, the commitment to increase participation in planning practice has tended to overlook populist mobilisation of public opinion, often favouring networks of articulate, middle-class, property owners to the exclusion of the voices of the marginalised and of planning officers. In this paper I explore the concept of populism as grounded in a ‘democratic’ notion of sovereignty of the people: “a conception of citizens as responsible agents in the public world” (Boyte, 1991: 59); an exemplification of civic virtue (Disch, 1999: 4). Populism tends to involve the mobilisation of networks of interests and opinions perceived by their adherents as being neglected by those with decision making power. Populist opinion may contradict or influence planners’ technical recommendations, resulting in decisions reflecting more a tyranny of the minority than ‘good’ planning practice. Using examples from local planning in Western Australia I examine the influence of networks of populism on both elected representative decisions and on planning officer recommendations. I attempt to unpack reasons for such outcomes and ask whether increased public participation in planning risks elected representatives and planners becoming puppets of populism, and if so, whether this would be problematic for planning practice. I explore a tactical alternative of planners ‘spinning’ information and policies to enhance their power before concluding that rather than being the essence of democracy, populism may well be a betrayal of democratic participation in planning.
Author(s): Hillier J
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Planning Studies
Year: 2003
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Pages: 157-166
ISSN (print): 1356-3475
ISSN (electronic): 1469-9265
Publisher: Routledge
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13563470305155
DOI: 10.1080/13563470305155
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