Deliberative Planning in a Multicultural Milieu

Abstract

This article explores the utility of deliberative planning theory given the scholarly debate over its limitations and prospects. A case study situated in the Japanese city of Kawasaki illustrates how deliberative planning theory can illuminate the limitations of deliberative planning theory and practice while revealing potential paths to create more democratic and inclusive planning processes. The case underscores the importance of (1) public acknowledgement of the constraints to deliberative planning, (2) deliberating over the design of a deliberative process, (3) mitigating identified constraints to deliberative planning, and (4) being open to alternative or parallel strategies given structural and other constraints in deliberative processes.