Collaborative planning in the network: Consensus seeking in urban planning issues on the Internet—the case of China

Abstract

For the last few years in China, several urban planning issues have become public concerns with debates arising on the Internet. As the power of the Internet media continues to rise, the grassroots in China are beginning to have a channel for their voice in the urban planning realm, an area which has been dominated by professionals and governments. In this article, the “PX project event” in Xiamen City and the “nail household event” in Chongqing City are examined from the perspectives of collaborative planning theory. It can be concluded that in today’s China, although the Internet-based participation may encourage urban planning to become more transparent, open, and extensively participated, it is hardly more than a consensus-seeking and social learning process, with insufficient management from planning professionals and is far away from consensus building. Such controversies often end in criticism, bias, and a crash in public trust, and governments, elites, and those who are closer to the power center are still the major decision makers. Nevertheless, it is noticeable that, with the pressure of public opinion, grassroots voices on the Internet have tried successfully to change the context of the decision-making process, as well as the balance of the power-oriented political relationships.