Institutionalizing Civic Participation for Urban Development

The Example of the City of Strasbourg, France

Abstract

This article demonstrates the institutionalization of civic participation for urban development by taking the example of Strasbourg, France. Various participation tools include district council, citizen council, foreigner council, urban workshops, and project workshops. The local government devises citizen participation tools according to their intention of how to modify urban development processes. That is to say, local councilors and public servants use these tools to effectively promote their urban plans. This process shows that local democracy is an important base of urban development for making cities more open and livable.