Kitchen Table Sustainability

It’s a worry!

I’ve explained before that community engagement — especially with sustainability — is not an easy task.

Many people argue that it is problematic and can actually hurt those it is most intends to benefit.

So let’s just have a quick look at some of the major critcisms. I’d love to hear comments back and maybe we can prepare a good list of responses.

And then figure out how to make better processes happen in our communities.

Please make a comment in the box below or contact me at wendy@sarkissian.com.au 

or this email address for Canadians (for whom I seem to be on a Canadian spam list): Wendy.Sarkissian@gmail.com

Thanks!

Valid criticisms of citizen involvement include:

•  Lack of political and technical prowess among community groups makes them easy prey for co-optation by politicians or bureaucrats;
• In engagement situations, a non-representative interest group may be able to manipulate the decision-making process towards its own ends;
• Lack of expertise, inertia and fear of the results of new or novel ideas may induce opposition to whatever is proposed and only preserve the status quo;
• Interest groups may veto each other’s proposals because it is always easier to organise resistance than to reach agreement;
• The short-sightedness of local groups may prevent or delay formulation or implementation of broader plans; and
• Non-participants will always form the bulk of the population. On these grounds, radical planners suggest that engagement is a diversion from the primary goal, that of changing society’s institutions.

What do YOU think of this list?