Making space: how public participation shapes environmental decision-making

The document argues that public participation is essential for achieving sustainable development goals, as it provides local knowledge and increases the legitimacy of decisions. It distinguishes between 'invited spaces' (formal state-led processes) and 'created spaces' (citizen-led mobilization), noting that these often interact to influence policy. However, the authors warn that without intentional design to address social injustice, participation can reinforce existing inequalities and be hindered by technocratic exclusion.

• Public participation serves as both an intrinsic democratic good and a practical tool to improve decision-making by providing unique local or 'lay' knowledge, which is essential for translating global targets like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into local contexts.
• Engaging the public can increase the legitimacy of decisions and reduce conflict, helping to address democratic deficits such as distrust in political leaders and the gridlock that occurs when environmental issues are treated as purely scientific questions.
• Public participation occurs in two primary types of spaces: 'invited spaces,' which are formal opportunities created by authorities (such as environmental impact assessments or citizen assemblies), and 'created spaces,' which are citizen-led mobilizations (such as petitions or community forums).
• Invited and created spaces often interact; citizen mobilization in created spaces can pressure governments to establish formal invited spaces, and activists may use invited spaces in unorthodox ways to achieve their goals.
• Participation processes are susceptible to social bias and can inadvertently deepen existing inequalities, particularly for marginalized groups and women, if they are not specifically designed to advance justice.
• Technocratic decision-making and the perceived authority of science can lead to the exclusion of the public, with marginalized individuals being most likely to self-censor due to a perceived lack of expertise.
• A lack of transparency regarding how public input actually influences final decisions can lead to 'participation fatigue' and increased distrust among the public.

APA

Berry, L. H., Koski, J., Verkuijl, C., Strambo, C., & Piggot, G. (2019). Making space: how public participation shapes environmental decision-making. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/making-space-how-public-participation-shapes-environmental-decision-making.pdf

Chicago

Berry, Laura H., Jessica Koski, Cleo Verkuijl, Claudia Strambo, and Georgia Piggot. Making space: how public participation shapes environmental decision-making. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/making-space-how-public-participation-shapes-environmental-decision-making.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Berry |first1=Laura H. |last2=Koski |first2=Jessica |last3=Verkuijl |first3=Cleo |last4=Strambo |first4=Claudia |last5=Piggot |first5=Georgia |title=Making space: how public participation shapes environmental decision-making |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=January 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/making-space-how-public-participation-shapes-environmental-decision-making.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{berry2019making, author = {Berry, Laura H. and Koski, Jessica and Verkuijl, Cleo and Strambo, Claudia and Piggot, Georgia}, title = {{Making space: how public participation shapes environmental decision-making}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/making-space-how-public-participation-shapes-environmental-decision-making.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }