Public participation in land use planning: What is the role of social capital?

This study examines the role of social capital in citizen participation in a particular case of land use planning. The case centres around the development permit process for a youth service centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Social capital in the form of interest-based and community-based social organization, shaped by social networks, reciprocity and trust is thought to provide the groundwork necessary for citizen participation and play an important role in the case. Two approaches were used to investigate and analyze the role of social capital in citizen participation in the case. Qualitative data were derived from elite interviews and quantitative data from a telephone survey. Analysis of the data revealed that not only was social capital an important factor in citizen participation in the case, but the amount and type of social capital varied depending on its social context.