Bridging Community Differences through Informal Processes

Participatory planning today faces a dual challenge—the growing diversity and differences at the community level and the limitations of institutionalized participation. By comparing two cases of community planning in Seattle, Washington, and Matsudo, Japan, this article examines the role of informal processes in overcoming institutional and social barriers and negotiating differences of identities, values, and interests. The article argues that, through animated interactions, building of trust, experiential learning, and spontaneity, informal activities and processes can serve as important vehicles for creating meanings, social relationships, and collective actions and enable planners to navigate the cultural and political terrain of community differences.