Ocena stanu partycypacji społecznej w planowaniu przestrzennym na poziomie lokalnym w Polsce
Assessment of the state of social participation in spatial planning at the local level in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Participation means the attendance of an individual in making decisions that affect him/her directly. It is a subject of scientific considerations due to its multi-aspect nature. Social participation can be understood as the participation of residents and other stakeholders in formal and informal self-organisation processes aimed at improving living conditions and the functioning within the local community. Participation is sometimes compared to the partnership of the commune self-government with the inhabitants, and its objective is the implementation of activities contributing to local development. After 1989, when local self-governments revived in Poland, public participation in decision-making began to play an important role. Initially, this participation consisted only in the election of its representatives for the authorities. However, with the passage of time, an increasing interest in local matters could be noticed.Social participation can be a great challenge for the authorities. Planning it and then organising it may not always bring the expected results. Nevertheless, a well-conducted participation process can make stakeholders feel involved in developing a given solution. The variety of problems and conflicts occurring in communes does not allow for a clear indication of the rules of participation. Each subject to consultation is, in fact, a new experience; therefore, the framework for participation is not and should not be strictly defined.The main purpose of this article is to assess the state of social participation tools usage in spatial planning in selected communes in Poland. The spatial scope of the research consists of 20 municipalities of various types, which between 2018 and 2021 took part in the EU project titled ‟The Development of Human and Material Resources for Conducting the Process of In-Depth Consultations and Social Monitoring in the Area of Spatial Development and Planning in Twenty Communes in Poland”. For the purposes of this study, the following research methods were used: a) an analysis of the existing data consisting in the analysis of project documentation; and b) in-depth individual interviews (IDI) with experts in the field of social participation in spatial planning and with employees of offices of the surveyed communes. The research results presented in the article may constitute a starting point for a wider discussion on the role of – and the need for – social participation in contemporary spatial planning at the local level in Poland.The conducted research shows that social participation in Poland is changing. Officials and authorities notice that local communities are becoming more and more interested in spatial planning, which makes it necessary to ensure proper social participation. Public participation in spatial planning should be a part of a continuous dialogue between authorities and residents. Stakeholder involvement in spatial issues should not be limited to basic consultations. Spatial planning has an impact on the surroundings, and the planning decisions made on this basis can affect the conditions and quality of life of residents.

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