Decreased citizen participation in voluntary associations in the last thirteen years in Chile and implications for building a more participatory urban planning policy

Abstract

The 2014 National Urban Development Policy of Chile defines among its objectives an Í€œeffectiveÍ€ public participation. However, as this article shows, participation in member-based organizations of diverse types has significantly decreased in Chile in general, and especially in the city of Santiago. The research conducted analyses data about participation in the national surveys CASEN 2000 and CASEN 2009, as well as in the survey Santiago Cómo Vamos 2013, demonstrating that participation in member-based organizations has decreased significantly in Santiago in the last thirteen years and that citizens lack interest in participatory urban planning tools. This article furthermore identifies the implications and challenges that these low levels of participation pose for building a more participatory urban planning policy.