Planning major transport infrastructure: Benefits and limitations of the participatory decision-making processes

Abstract

Although stakeholder participation has been considered an ideal approach in spatial planning theory since the 1980s, decision-making processes are not always so inclusive in practice. Planning major transport infrastructure is usually a very contentious, time-consuming, and extremely demanding task due to a myriad of stakeholder interests and power relations that accompany decision-making processes. In order to determine the benefits and limitations of stakeholder participation when planning major transport infrastructure, this study analyzes and compares the planning processes of two freeway sections in Slovenia. It applies a qualitative document analysis method to reveal the background and developments of Slovenian infrastructure planning through history. The results show that both decision-making processes analyzed indicate a democratic deficit, which is a consequence of unfavorable institutional arrangements and legislation, and tokenistic planning tradition. The openness of decision-making processes has remained dependent on decisionmakers’ (usually national institutions’) preferences. Both of the decision-making processes studied also lack legitimacy and are biased by the power relations among stakeholders. The main contribution of this chapter is a more thorough understanding of the benefits and limitations that accompany stakeholder participation in planning major infrastructure, which may enhance the efficiency of future decision-making processes.