Strong Stories: How the Dutch are reinventing their Planning Practice

Spatial planning in the Netherlands involves a diverse range of partnerships between government bodies, centres of knowledge, the public, and organizations in the private sector. Experiments with interactive, development-oriented planning have been going on for some years, especially at the regional level. The book Strong Stories presents the results. Which coalitions, practices, and forms of collaboration have been successful, and which ones have not? When consultants play a major role, do public authorities outsource a growing number of planning projects, or does their gaze tend to turn inward? Can networks and regional actors supply all the information and expertise that is needed? And what can be done to make sure that the results of public participation are put to good use?