| The purpose of this study is to examine public participation policies and the resulting practices in land use planning both in Canada and China and to explore the possibility of applying the Canadian public consultation experience in a Chinese context. In China, along with rapid urbanization and industrialization, the conflicts of interest in land use among stakeholders have become increasingly complicated and multidimensional. The literature review demonstrates that there is a need to enhance the democratic nature of land use planning by improving the level of public participation in China. Several participatory mechanisms, such as public notification and public hearing, have been used in the land use planning process in the last decade in China. However, the level of public participation in land use planning remains very low and the opportunities for the public to be involved are also quite limited. This study interviewed seven Chinese land use planning practitioners from three different groups, representing policy regulators and planning officials from the central government, planning officials from the local government at the county and township/town levels, and planners from land use planning institutes.; The research suggests that the present public participation requirements in the Chinese land use planning system can be improved by incorporating the features available in the Canadian land use planning system. However, given the social, economic, political, and cultural differences between these two countries, some techniques often implemented in Canada may be difficult or require a long-term effort to be successfully implemented in China. Based on the results of the analysis, this study provides recommendations for improving public consultation in the land use master planning process at the county and township/town levels through enhancing the effectiveness of land use planning regulations. It also identified three areas for further research, including research respecting the general farmers' attitudes towards the effectiveness of the current public participation practice in China, evaluation of the implementation of the proposed recommendations, and investigation of how the improvements of the planning mandates may affect the planning practice at the local level.; Keywords. Public consultation; Planning mandate; China's land use master planning... |
