What is the role of citizens in urban development decision-making processes? In answer of this globally relevant question, Aline Delatte offers a comprehensive analysis of urban renewal programs in Berlin which aim to strengthen collaborative planning between public authorities and civil society. Based on the case study of the federal urban development program Aktives Stadtzentrum Turmstraße, Delatte distinguishes two types of participation: Citizen participation in a time-limited and issue-oriented ´top-down` participatory process; and citizen-representative involvement within local urban governance on an ongoing basis. Highlighting the drivers and barriers of participatory processes, her insights aim to strengthen citizen involvement towards a more participatory and democratic planning process. Uncovering valuable lessons to be learnt for the implementation of local participation in European cities, this timely book helps untangle the complexities of local governance involving administrations, civil society, and urban planners.

Considered to be sub-ordinated and sub-prime to the city, sub-urban areas receive little attention by researchers and designers. However, it´s the rapidly growing areas outside the central cities that pose the biggest questions of the urban millennium: How can the scattered patchwork of urban areas and social spaces linked by networks of highways and public transportation function as a sustainable and livable urban environment? Answering this question requires understanding suburban spaces as heterogeneous urban areas with distinct local characteristics, qualities, and problems. Following this path, Variations of Suburbanism explores formation, characteristics, and trends of suburban areas all over the world. It provides insights on common features and differences of suburban governance, design, and infrastructure and discusses strategies to understand and design suburban areas in an increasingly sub-urbanizing world.

What is the role of citizens in urban development decision-making processes? In answer of this globally relevant question, Aline Delatte offers a comprehensive analysis of urban renewal programs in Berlin which aim to strengthen collaborative planning between public authorities and civil society. Based on the case study of the federal urban development program Aktives Stadtzentrum Turmstraße, Delatte distinguishes two types of participation: Citizen participation in a time-limited and issue-oriented ´top-down` participatory process; and citizen-representative involvement within local urban governance on an ongoing basis. Highlighting the drivers and barriers of participatory processes, her insights aim to strengthen citizen involvement towards a more participatory and democratic planning process. Uncovering valuable lessons to be learnt for the implementation of local participation in European cities, this timely book helps untangle the complexities of local governance involving administrations, civil society, and urban planners.

Considered to be sub-ordinated and sub-prime to the city, sub-urban areas receive little attention by researchers and designers. However, it´s the rapidly growing areas outside the central cities that pose the biggest questions of the urban millennium: How can the scattered patchwork of urban areas and social spaces linked by networks of highways and public transportation function as a sustainable and livable urban environment? Answering this question requires understanding suburban spaces as heterogeneous urban areas with distinct local characteristics, qualities, and problems. Following this path, Variations of Suburbanism explores formation, characteristics, and trends of suburban areas all over the world. It provides insights on common features and differences of suburban governance, design, and infrastructure and discusses strategies to understand and design suburban areas in an increasingly sub-urbanizing world.