A New Reading on the Level of Citizen Participation Based on John Friedman's Planning Traditions

Participation is a concept that depends on the context and conditions of a society, and therefore, it takes on various forms and levels. One of the most recognized methods of achieving public benefit in Habermas' perspectives is seen in his concept of communicative action. Furthermore, Jane Friedman categorizes planning theories into four traditions and approaches based on the extent of knowledge application in the public sphere, namely policy analysis, social reform, social learning, and social mobilization. The aim of this research is to categorize the theories of public participation theorists and develop a new interpretation of the levels of participation in conjunction with Jane Friedman's planning traditions. Data was gathered through document analysis and literature review using a qualitative approach. The results reveal that within the framework of the proposed concept of participatory planning, the traditional top-down planning process corresponds to policy analysis, which does not involve participation and cannot be considered a stage of participatory planning. In the second stage, supportive planning corresponds to social reform. The next stage is educational planning corresponding to social learning, and finally, participatory planning is defined as the highest level, corresponding to social mobilization. In this framework, the outcome of each stage sets the foundation for the next stage, providing the basis for genuine participation.