Public participation in environmental planning and management : a means of domination and marginalization ?

Objectivess of the colloquium

Date and location

Detailed description and program

Scientific committee

Registration

Simultaneous translation

Partners

To support us

Contact

OBJECTIVES OF THE COLLOQUIUM

The primary goal of the colloquium is to take a critical, interdisciplinary look at ethical reasons for participation and the ethical stakes that emerge through the process, in particular with respect to the inclusion of groups that are systematically marginalized. More specifically, by approaching the topic from an international point of view, we hope to :

Promote interdisciplinary thought on the ethics of public participation ;

Clarify the challenges inherent to public participation, particularly with respect to the space it creates for power relations, domination and exclusion, citizenship training and creation of a feeling of belonging ;

Identify avenues of research and development for ethical participation processes involving all groups in environmental planning and management.

In order to analyse more deeply these questions, two parallel workshops will take place during the colloquium, concentrating on two specific groups considered as being marginalized.

DATE : May 29th and 30th 2008

LOCATION : : Faculté de l’aménagement, Université de Montréal
2940, Chemin de la Côte Ste Catherine (métro Université de Montréal).
Rooms will be indicated there. Map of the campus

Issues at stake

Program

Detailed description of workshops

ISSUES AT STAKE

Public participation can be defined as the involvement of individuals and groups in a decision process. In recent years, we have seen an increase in forms of participation in environmental planning and management, both regionally and in cities and neighbourhoods. The call for such participation seems to have its roots in, on one hand, dissatisfaction with or a loss of trust in decision-making institutions, and, on the other hand, participatory processes’ positive side effects for communities and project visibility.

Today, this is recognized in the many texts and agreements that institutionalize public participation. At the international level, there is the United Nations Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention), and the inclusion of requirements in international agreements such as that on biodiversity. In Québec, there is, for example, the BAPE consultation process. These texts and many others highlight the importance of effective citizen participation in decisions that affect their activities, living conditions, land and development. In particular, this is the case of United Nations agreements on the rights of children, disabled and elderly people, and indigenous and tribal peoples.

Despite all these efforts, within institutionalized participatory processes at least, citizens’ involvement often remains simply a legal obligation that makes it possible to constantly avoid setting up the conditions for a legitimate participatory process. For example, minimum standards of There are no registration fees for participating in the conferenceaccess to information may not be met, the opinions of experts and technocrats may be in systematic opposition to those of the public, and final decisions may not include the public’s contributions. Thus, it seems pertinent to wonder about the uses and potential misuses of public participation. What is the real purpose of public participation in environmental planning and management ? What interests are served by participation ? Who really benefits from it ? Do citizens really find what they are looking for ? These questions place the spotlight on the ethical dimensions of public participation.

Indeed, these questions are all the more urgent when certain groups are systematically excluded, either because they are not invited to participate or because their interests are set aside in one way or another.

Program :

Program

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOPS

Workshop 1
Understanding and shaping the city with children and youth : ehtics and participatory practice
This workshop is concerned with ethics and participation as they relate to young people, community research and city development. It addresses both the ethical grounds of participation and the ethical dilemmas that participatory practice can raise.

Workshop 2
Understanding the benefits of and problems with aboriginal participation
The workshop will look at the ethics of Aboriginal peoples’ participation in territorial planning and development. The ethical foundations of such participation will be discussed, along with the ethical dilemmas that participatory practices can generate.

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Pierre André, Professeur, Département de géographie, Directeur du CEDRIE, Université de Montréal

Martin Blanchard, chercheur, Coordinateur, Centre de recherche en éthique de l’Université de Montréal

Christopher Bryant, Professeur, Département de géographie, Université de Montréal

Irène Cinq-Mars, Professeure, École d’architecture du paysage, Université de Montréal

De Koninck Rodolphe, Professeur, Département de géographie, Directeur du CETASE, Université de Montréal

David Driskell, Directeur, UNESCO Chair for Growing Up in Cities, Cornell University

Michel Gariépy, professeur, Institut d’Urbanisme, Université de Montréal Stephane Guimont-Marceau, candidate au doctorat, Département de géographie, Université de Montréal

Thora Martina Herrmann, Professeure, Département de géographie, Université de Montréal

Robert Kasisi, Professeur, École d’Architecture du paysage, Université de Montréal

Kelly LeBlanc, assistante coordinatrice du CEDRIE, candidate à la maîtrise, Département de géographie, Université de Montréal

Marie Lessard, Professeure, Institut d’urbanisme, Université de Montréal

Juan Torres Michel, Stagiaire postdoctoral, Centre de recherche en éthique de l’Université de Montréal

Tiiu Vaikla-Poldma, Vice-doyenne, Faculté d’aménagement, Université de Montréal

Jean-Guy Vaillancourt, Professeur, Département de sociologie, Université de Montréal

REGISTRATION

There are no registration fees for participating in the colloquium.
Participants should register as soon as possible, using online registration.
All participants registered will receive a message confirming their registration.

SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION

A simultaneous translation from french to english willl be provided.

OUR PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS

PARTNERS

COLLABORATORS

TO SUPPORT US

Deadline for the deposit of your offer of contribution : April 30th, 2008

Every organisation that supports the conference will benefit of a proportional visibility to the amount they have contributed. It is also possible to assure the distribution of documents during the event for a modest sum.

First category : partners : 1500$ or more

Your logo on the site of the conference in hypertext format linking to your website. Your logo on the poster situated at the entrance of all auditoriums and classrooms of workshop. Your logo on the cover page of the program and of the list of the participants.

Second category : collaborator : from 500$ to 1500$

Your logo on the conference’s website. Your logo on the poster situated at the entrance of the auditorium and at the entrance of the classroom of workshop of your choice. Your logo on the back cover of the program and of the list of the participants

Insertion of documents to distribute to the participants

A folio = 150 $ : to provide 100 copies before Mai 15th, 2008.

CONTACT

Christophe Rémond
514 343 6111, #0758 ;
christophe.remond[at]umontreal.ca