Unpacking Community Engagement: Examining Enablers and Barriers Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Community engagement is a multifaceted process essential to Community Design (CD) projects. Despite its growing significance, achieving genuine engagement remains challenging due to declining community commitment, reactive practices, unequal power dynamics, and limited understanding of participants’ motivations. To address these challenges, this study employs Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to examine community engagement mechanisms in three CD projects in Japan. Thematic analysis of interviews with 42 stakeholders identifies three interdependent types of engagement: program implementation, capacity building, and ecosystem development and sustenance, each requiring diverse skills and stakeholder collaboration. Enablers include fulfilling autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs through shared goals, mentorship, and capacity-building initiatives. Barriers, such as resource constraints, member attrition, and external challenges, were also identified. To overcome these barriers, the study proposes strategies to cultivate an SDT-supportive environment, including structured activities and mentorship programs. These findings offer actionable insights for practitioners while advancing SDT by illustrating how its core psychological needs can be satisfied within CD contexts. By addressing both enablers and barriers, this research contributes to more robust and sustainable community engagement practices.