Public Participation in the Danish Planning System—A Cybernetics Approach
Between 1969 and 1975 an extensive reform of planning processes was implemented in Denmark. The reform was aimed at several objectives: decentralization, increase of productivity and rationality, institutionalization of the planning processes, and improvement of life quality. This paper examines the patterns of the citizens' participation by means of a communication model, based on the cybernetics approach. Our examination will show that the reform has indeed institutionalized the formal participation channels, through which the planning can be influenced. However, as in the case of the West Zealand county, no actual influence of this participation process was recognized in the planning processes. The participation occurred mainly in the later stages of implementation and was a rather disfunctional factor, restraining and delaying the execution of the plan.