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13:48
Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Urban sprawl, smart growth, and deliberative democracy
1National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. resnikd@niehs.nih.gov
American Journal of Public Health
|August 21, 2010
Summary
Urban sprawl negatively impacts public health and the environment. Deliberative democracy offers a fair and effective approach to resolve controversial urban planning issues, like smart growth policies.
Area of Science:
- Urban Planning and Policy
- Environmental Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Urban sprawl is a prevalent issue in industrialized nations, with documented negative effects on public health and the environment.
- Existing policy frameworks, such as smart growth, aim to combat urban sprawl but face significant implementation challenges.
- Controversy surrounding smart growth stems from conflicting stakeholder interests and diverse moral and political viewpoints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of deliberative democracy as a conflict-resolution mechanism for urban planning issues.
- To address the challenges in implementing smart growth policies due to stakeholder disagreements.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of deliberative democracy principles.
- Examination of stakeholder conflicts in urban planning and smart growth debates.
Main Results:
- Deliberative democracy provides a framework for open debate among affected parties.
- This approach can facilitate consensus-building and fair resolution of complex urban planning disputes.
- It offers an alternative to traditional voting methods when interests are divergent.
Conclusions:
- Deliberative democracy presents a viable and equitable method for resolving contentious urban planning issues.
- Implementing deliberative processes can enhance the effectiveness and acceptance of policies like smart growth.
- Addressing conflicting viewpoints through open dialogue is crucial for sustainable urban development.
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