Wit, Style, and Substance

Abstract

This article compares the participatory methods and attitudes of four very different planners for whom public participation is central to practice. The comparison is based on Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space and so emphasizes the decisiveness of material outcomes in gauging the depth and effectiveness of participatory processes. The featured planners are public art experts, which lends the study an air of freedom of expression while remaining well within the planning realms of central area enhancement, community development, and professional commitment to realizing the public interest.