| Summary: | Currently most municipalities in Sweden venture to increase citizen participation in spatial and social planning inquiries. The fact of the matter is that the population’s involvement in such inquiries is continuously decreasing. Where there is some participation, the representation of different socio-‐economic groups is low. This is resulting in an uneven distribution of civil influence in societal issues and a weaker democracy. The rearing of the study is the digital era and its influence on the population’s approach towards information and communication. Several functions and services in society have developed extensively due to the impact of digitalization. For instance, the way we communicate and interact, search for new information and search for medical help are all primarily digital today. By using the benefits from digitalization, the Swedish government is aiming to become more democratic and a country of equality. One strategy to improve public participation is by implementing digital aids into the work process of the public administration. This will provide a more representative, democratic and equal planning process. The case study examines how the municipalities of Höganäs and Härnösand in Sweden have integrated citizens in former planning processes; but also how they will meet expectations of digital participation in the future.
|
|---|
