Stakeholder participation and visualisation in sustainable urban transformation

Sustainable urban transformation calls for the inclusion of stakeholders in the planning process. Generally, visualisation can serve as a bridge to connect stakeholders with diverse backgrounds. It is widely assumed that stakeholder participation in China differs from elsewhere due to its unique historical, political and cultural context. However, hardly any systematic studies exist focussing on stakeholder participation in the contemporary Chinese planning process. This study takes a multiscale perspective investigating stakeholder participation and visualisation in the statutory planning process in the Pearl River Delta, China. Using the urban planning system as a structural framework, document analysis was conducted based on urban planning laws, regulations and rules across different planning levels and looking at participatory phase, participatory tools and visualisation media. The study provides impulses for improving stakeholder participation and visualisation in the Chinese sustainable urban transformation process.