Tal Berman Public Participation as a Tool for Integrating Local Knowledge into Spatial Planning Planning, Participation, and Knowledge Public Participation as a Tool for Integrating Local Knowledge into Spatial Planning Tal Berman Public Participation as a Tool for Integrating Local Knowledge into Spatial Planning Planning, Participation, and Knowledge 123 Tal Berman Department of Geography and Human Environment Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel ISBN 978-3-319-48062-6 ISBN 978-3-319-48063-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-48063-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016955324 © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland This book focuses on a comparison of the capabilities of unilateral and collaborative public participation practices to uncover local knowledge and incorporate it into planning deliverables. The case of Israel as exemplifying global participatory processes. Preface This book is based on my Ph.D. work and is dedicated with deep appreciation to Prof. Izhak Schnell, who guided me in my doctoral research study and in the writing of my dissertation inspired thereby. Professor Schnell, a scientist, intel- lectual, humanist and individual of integrity, will continue to be a role model to me, and I will always think of him with gratitude. I extend my heartfelt thanks to him for his professional instruction and his philosophical and spiritual insight, as well as for his moral support throughout our work together. This book is the fruit of 5 years of research and 2 years of writing. However, the conceptual and philosophical seeds of this work were sowed more than 10 years ago while I was at the Department of Geography and Human Environment at Tel Aviv University, writing my master’s thesis on effective ways to empower the community through planning. I conducted interpretive field research among an underserved and disempowered population in south Tel Aviv to explore effective means of determining their genuine spatial needs and perspectives (i.e., local knowledge) and to use the results to build operative planning knowledge. The strong desire to make a breakthrough in our ability to adapt the planning product to residents’ needs drove me to continue to research the subject in a doctoral framework at Tel Aviv University. During this period, I conducted a comparative study of the abilities of various public participation methods to obtain local knowledge and incorporate it into the planning process. In addition to introducing a new conceptual framework for public participation in planning, the theory formulated following my doctoral research constitutes the state of the art and generates innovative thought in planning theory and knowledge study based on an empirical comparative examination of the efficacy of various participatory processes, leading to practical solutions for public participation alongside new frameworks and tools. One of the tools built during this research was the Participatory Methods Ladder, which classifies various participatory methods, practices and procedures according to their abilities to capture local knowledge and incorporate it into planning deliverables. The Participatory Methods Ladder constitutes an innovative devel- opment that can calibrate participatory processes according to certain criteria to vii viii Preface improve their respective abilities to extract local knowledge and incorporate it into planning deliverables. My dissertation has been elaborated and rewritten, and the result is presented in this book under the title ‘Public participation as a tool for integrating local knowledge into spatial planning’. During my doctoral studies, I initiated and developed the extra-academic course “Public Participation in Urban and Regional Planning” for the Standards Institution of Israel. This initiative stemmed from a genuine desire to improve the practices employed in public participation in addition to their theoretical development. To my knowledge, this was the first extra-academic course of its kind with the objective of teaching professional planners, bureaucrats, and decision-makers, as well as envi- ronmentalists and interested residents, how to involve the public in planning processes and thereby improve the congruency between planning deliverables and residents’ needs. This extra-academic endeavor and experience not only strength- ened my research quality but also generated credible practical guidelines for actual planning. Tel Aviv, Israel Tal Berman Contents 1 Abstract ................................................ 1 2 Introduction ............................................. 7 3 Conceptual Context ....................................... 11 3.1 Local Knowledge .................................... 11 3.2 Extracting Local Knowledge............................ 14 3.3 Public Participation and the Planning Process............... 18 3.3.1 The Transition to the Postmodern Era .............. 18 3.3.2 The Transition to Participatory Planning ............ 19 3.4 Public Participation and Civil Society..................... 22 3.5 Methods of Public Participation ......................... 25 3.6 Public Participation in Israel ............................ 30 4 Research Methodology .................................... 35 4.1 Research Sample..................................... 35 4.2 Methodology’s Conceptual Context ...................... 37 4.3 Research Activities ................................... 39 5 Test Case: The Planning Process of Haifa’s [Carmel] Range Artery.................................................. 45 5.1 Introduction ........................................ 45 5.2 Collaborative Public Participation ........................ 47 5.2.1 Haifa’s Environmental Traumas .................. 47 5.2.2 Oranìm[“Pines”] Tower ........................ 47 5.2.3 The Commercialization of Moriah Boulevard ........ 51 5.2.4 KiryátSèfer Tower ............................ 55 5.3 Unilateral Public Participation........................... 57 5.3.1 Introduction .................................. 57 5.3.2 Criteria Prioritization via the Letter ................ 57 ix x Contents 5.3.3 The SWOT Model............................. 59 5.3.4 Alternatives Selection: Choosing Between Planning Alternatives .................................. 62 5.4 Incorporating Local Knowledge into the City Master Plan ..... 63 6 Test Case: The Planning Process of Tel Aviv’s Shlavim Artery ... 67 6.1 Introduction ........................................ 67 6.2 Collaborative Public Participation ........................ 69 6.2.1 South Tel Aviv’s Environmental Traumas........... 69 6.2.2 The South Neve Tzedek “Contiguity” Plan .......... 70 6.2.3 The Shlavim Artery............................ 72 6.3 Unilateral Public Participation........................... 78 6.3.1 Introduction .................................. 78 6.3.2 Criteria Prioritization ........................... 79 6.3.3 Alternatives Selection: Choosing Between Planning Alternatives .................................. 80 6.3.4 The SWOT Model............................. 83 6.4 Incorporating Local Knowledge into the City Master Plan ..... 85 7 Evaluation of the Participation Methods’ Effectiveness .......... 91 7.1 The Motivators for Public Participation Processes ........... 91 7.2 Public Notification of Public Participation Processes ......... 93 7.3 Procedures and Tools in Public Participation Processes ....... 99 7.4 Enlistment of Stakeholders ............................. 105 7.5 The Interaction Among Stakeholders ..................... 108 7.6 Exposure of Local Knowledge .......................... 112 7.7 Scope and Depth of Local Knowledge .................... 121 7.8 Characteristics of Local Knowledge ...................... 133 7.9 Processing Local Knowledge and Obtaining Public Participation Deliverables .............................. 136 7.10 Incorporation of Local Knowledge into Planning Deliverables ............................. 142 7.11 Outcomes and Conclusions Derived from the Analysis of Findings ......................................... 145 7.11.1 Interrelations Among Criteria of Participatory Processes .................................... 145 7.11.2 Evaluation Parameters (Evaluation Tool)............ 146 7.11.3 Participatory Procedures Classification ............