Collaborative Governance in Urban Planning: Patterns of Interaction in Curitiba and Montreal

Abstract

Collaborative governance is the idea that governments, civil society, and private actors can engage in collective policy-making processes. However, which structures and practices facilitate or hinder the deliberative dimension of collaborative governance? This research is based on case studies of urban planning processes carried out in Curitiba (Brazil) and Montreal (Canada). Using 20 semistructured interviews with key informants, planning documents, and media coverage, the study identified the crucial moments and key determinants in the interactions between public and private actors. Despite their disparate histories of urban planning and management, both case studies revealed significant commonalities, namely the varying extent of collaborative interactions among stakeholders according to the type of actors involved, the arena, and the phase of the planning process. The success of the democratic reform in Curitiba was undermined by the maintenance of informal institutions, whereas consultation fatigue explained the lack of participation in Montreal. Although based on a small number of cases and plans, our findings revealed the mechanisms, factors, and processes that could help transition urban planning processes from informative/consultative practices to collaborative governance models.