Activating the role of public participation as a new vision towards urban planning system reform : what can Syria learn from the British experience?

Abstract

As a cross-national comparative study, this research examines the urban development decision-making process as a form of urban governance, emphasising the progress achieved in public participation within the British and Syrian urban contexts. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), public participation is one of the key attributes of good governance. Therefore this study addresses public participation as an indicator of good governance; a means to ensure better development, and an end to enhancing the capacity building of the society. There is an abundance of theoretical and practical research addressing the topic of public participation in the urban development decision-making process in the UK, which might provide valuable references and lessons for developing countries to benefit from. Since 2011, Syria has been in turmoil and instability due to the ongoing war in the country, resulting in drastic social, economic, and political changes. Before the war and during the first decade of the 21st century, Syria sought to make some social and economic changes under the influence and help of the UNDP. Those change attempts were noted within the 10th Five Year Plan (FYP), where the concepts of ‘civil society’, ‘participation’, and ‘governance’ were introduced. Those changes have affected the urban planning context within the country, where a new approach to decision-making within the land-use planning system was introduced. However, the efficiency of the new approach to achieving better outcomes for development plans was still questionable. This research aims to critically review, evaluate and compare the progress achieved in the field of public participation in the urban development decision-making process (evolution, achievements, and problems) in the British and Syrian contexts by following a cross-national approach. It reviews the evolution of urban planning theories and public participation approaches and their practices. Based on the findings, an analytical framework is adopted to examine and evaluate the level of public participation within the decision-making process, both theoretically and in practice. The research is based on a case study approach. A mixed-method of data collection and analysis is applied in both countries through literature, policy and regulations reviews, and fieldwork in the selected study cases: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and Latakia, Syria. By studying and analysing the possibilities for broader public participation and more effective engagement of members of civil society in the urban development decision-making process, this research attempts to promote potential sustainable outcomes of public participation within their related political, economic, and social contexts. This research found some theoretical similarities between the UK-Scotland and Syria when addressing classic democracy (structure of the state, administrative and geographical division, the structure of state institutions, and the laws and regulations governing). However, the empirical research found that the fundamental differences lie in the practical implementation of the concept of democracy on the ground. Empirical research shows that public participation in the Syrian urban development decision making process is primitive and limited to informing only. Even the methods used to inform the public are ineffective enough and do not achieve the required propagation. Whereas in the case of UK-Scotland, public participation is more developed, and the public is engaged and consulted during the formulation of the decisions. Despite the difference in the level of democracy, the research indicates that Syria could benefit from the British experience. However, achieving this is a political matter that needs a political and societal will that involves restructuring the main forces of society (the state, the market, and the society). Based on the research findings, a series of recommendations have been developed to improve the practice of public participation in the urban development decision-making process and achieve reformatory changes to urban governance in Syria,