Interest in neighbourhood participation in local government is increasing in Vancouver as a result of a variety of factors, including initiatives such as "READY OR NOT!", CityPlan, regionalization of health services, and so on. Discussions on how to achieve high quality neighbourhood input into decisions which affect the quality of neighbourhood life have included questions about structures or models from other places that could be adopted or adapted to suit the needs of Vancouver. Believing that information from other cities' experiences will contribute to more informed discussions, the Social Planning Department through "READY OR NOT!" undertook a survey of cities known to have some formally recognized system of neighbourhood participation in local government planning and decision-making.
Survey Methodology
The information provided here on neighbourhood participation in local government is the result of telephone interviews with staff directly involved in administering the public participation process. The information on minhalot in Jerusalem was provided by Rene Ragetli, a masters student in planning who now lives in Vancouver. The telephone interviews were conducted over a seven day period in late May 1993. The questionnaire used in the survey focused on questions related to the structure or reporting relationships between neighbourhoods and city hall, the kinds o f questions or issues that neighbourhoods address, the resources that other cities provide to neighbourhoods to facilitate involvement, and some historical information on the why, when and who, to give some context to the information.
The list of cities to be surveyed was developed by reviewing some of the more recent books and articles on public participation or urban democracy or local governance-call it what you will. Some cities were mentioned over and over as good or outstanding examples of participatory decision making: Seattle; Portland; Dayton, Ohio; Roanoak, Virginia. Other cities came to be included as a result of their membership in Neighbourhoods USA, or because a key informant knew of something interesting happening. This survey was not intended to be exhaustive but strived to be representative of the range of approaches to neighbourhood participation that exists in North America. Some cities that are just embarking on a citizen involvement initiative in neighbourhoods are included as a means of examining some of the obstacles to implementation that are encountered.
Some cities known to have established neighbourhood participation programs, such as St. Paul, Minnesota, and Birmingham, Alabama, are not included simply because of the difficulties encountered in reaching key informants within the time available. Efforts to include examples from South America, Europe and Asia were frustrated by the logistics of playing telephone tag over 5 or more time zones.
No attempt was made to evaluate the effectiveness the models being used. Those who are interested in an exhaustive study of neighbourhood participation models, including evaluative information, should read The Rebirth of Urban Democracy by Jeffrey Berry, Kent Portney and Ken Thomson, published by the Brookings Institute. If your public library does not have the book, order it directly from Brookings Books by calling 202-797-6258.
New Ways of Governing
The Citizen's Handbook / Charles Dobson / www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook
