Abstract Summary
Digital tools potentially improve interaction between planners and citizens, reduce barriers to participation, encouraging creativity and expression (Wilson and Tewdwr-Jones, 2019) and promoting more sustainable urbanization (Hasler et al., 2017). However, this can only be an improvement if citizens are able to participate effectively. As Rosener (2006) has shown, it is not enough to evaluate the success of participation based on more citizens taking part, but rather its impact, to achieve better public policy. Our study examines the challenges faced by citizens in actively participating in the planning process in the digital age through an ethnographic approach of a citizens’ association in Dublin. Specifically, we investigate how citizens strive to gather and mobilize data and integrate themselves into the planning system to voice their opinions, particularly during the planning appeals stage. In the context of the increasing digitization of the planning process, we scrutinize the data flow within the system and its implications for citizen interaction within the planning and building control processes. Additionally, we examine how citizens leverage data to pursue collective or personal goals, probing the extent of their influence on the planning process. By demonstrating the significance of citizen engagement, we assess its impact on transparency and accountability, shedding light on biases in participation. The paper discusses power inequalities within the planning process, underscoring that only a minority of citizens familiar with the urbanization process are actively involved. It demonstrates how participation through data can either empower citizens or create an illusion of empowerment. Our analysis encourages reflection on how open data and transparency on the data generation, flow, analysis of planning data, and how citizen participation can be enhanced and equitably distributed in the age of digitized urban planning.
