A Ladder Of Citizen Participation

1969/07/01 by Sherry R. Arnstein · 23 citations
Social Sciences · #Urban Planning and Governance

paper · doi:10.1080/01944366908977225

crossref issued 1969/07/01 · crossref published 1969/07/01 · crossref published-print 1969/07/01 · openalex publication_date 1969/07/01 · crossref created 2007/11/30 · crossref deposited 2016/12/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The heated controversy over “citizen participation,” “citizen control”, and “maximum feasible involvement of the poor,” has been waged largely in terms of exacerbated rhetoric and misleading euphemisms. To encourage a more enlightened dialogue, a typology of citizen participation is offered using examples from three federal social programs: urban renewal, anti-poverty, and Model Cities. The typology, which is designed to be provocative, is arranged in a ladder pattern with each rung corresponding to the extent of citizens' power in determining the plan and/or program.

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