Overparticipation? Understanding the historic contribution of eight participatory planning processes in Goa, India
M.U.R.P. Thesis 6
This thesis investigates the factors influencing public participation in Urban and Regional Planning, with a focus on Goa, India. The research explores how levels of government, plan typology, and planners’ methods affect public engagement. It also attempts to theorize an evolving trend in the planning profession to curtail "overparticipation" (Lemar, 2021), in the larger public or environmental interest. “Overparticipation” is defined as a minority of (often-privileged) residents leveraging their power in participatory systems to hegemonize planning decisions. Goan communities participated actively in historic plans (Raghunathan, 1998; Sampat, 2017; Nielsen et al 2021), often in large numbers. However, a section of policymakers have labeled these incidents as overparticipation by Non Government Organizations (NGOs) and activists, seeking to reinvent planning and prioritize “productive participation” (Rane, 2023).
Methodologically, the thesis uses document analysis, plan evaluation, quantitative mapping, and semi-structured interviews to dissect participatory methods adopted across eight important federal, state and local plans in Goa. Interviews with a variety of stakeholders, including lawmakers, planners, indigenous leaders, and activists, substantiate some of the analyses.
The findings indicate that historic participation has not been dominated by NGOs and activists, but rather by state representatives and commercial real estate firms.
Finally, the thesis analyzes a groundbreaking policy from 2023, in which the Goa state legislature authorized the state government to preempt local governments and rezone specific lands. This policy came in response to “overparticipation” allegations by state legislators, with a purported need to safeguard the environment and provide affordable housing. Under this law, state-led rezonings do not need any public input. Findings indicate that the majority of such rezonings without public participation favored the interests of multinational real estate corporations, and is acting against principles of environmental protection by upzoning natural, coastal, or agricultural land for sprawled out development.
Building on this analysis, the thesis presents a nuanced view of the importance of public participation across different plan types. It demonstrates that land use planning is a significant driver for public involvement – and public participation has historically balanced public and private interests. In contrast, for state and federal non-land use plans such as environmental and infrastructure plans, NGOs overparticipate. Participatory processes and methods do not significantly impact this situation, but can be contained when planning at the local government level and using participatory methods in tandem.
Through this comparative lens, the findings reveal inconsistencies between policy rationales, and outcomes. They also reveal the variation in participation and its dependence on the nature of plan, and role of the planner. It concludes with recommendations for the state, indicating plans where over participation is a problem, and other spaces where public participation could be enhanced.
