Realities of community participation in metropolitan planning in Bangladesh: A comparative study of citizens and planning practitioners' perceptions

Despite the axiomatic desirability of community participation in planning within developing countries, citizens' motivation and participation in planning projects has remained consistently low. The paper examines reasons behind low-level of participation in developing countries by considering citizen and practitioners' perceptions. The study reports on the interviews of the citizens in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The empirical study identifies social-cultural factors that directly determine individual's tendency including individual's lack of awareness, discouraging perceptions about participation outcomes and most notably lack of trust in the planning system. A comparative picture of citizens and practitioners' viewpoints, however, indicate a gap between their perceptions in terms of highlighting the most important factor. This suggests that there could be significant improvement in the extent and effectiveness of community participation by motivating practitioners to the need to be more critical of and accountable for their dealings with the community. •The paper examines reasons behind low-level of participation in developing countries.•It identifies socio-cultural factors that directly determine individual’s tendency.•There is a gap between the perceptions of citizens and practitioners in terms of highlighting the most important factor.•Practitioners need to be more critical of and accountable for their dealings with the community.