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TY - THES AU - Fischer, Lea TI - Die Erwartungen hinter Bürgerbeteiligung. Planende Verwaltungen und die Konstruktion der Bürger:innenrolle in Planungsprozessen : eine transformative Forschungsarbeit PB - Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen VL - Dissertation CY - Aachen M1 - RWTH-2025-07872 SP - 1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen PY - 2025 N1 - Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University N1 - Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2025 AB - The significance of citizen participation in planning processes is a topic of controversial discussion. On one hand, the normative claim to design urban planning together and on an equal footing with citizens is widely shared among planning scholars. On the other hand, questions arise about how far this claim should and can go, given the institutional framework of a representative democracy, in which spatial planning is embedded as an administrative task. This is primarily an academic discussion. For this dissertation, the perspective of those in municipal urban planning offices who engage directly with citizens is particularly interesting. The question examined is: How do urban planning officers interpret the role of citizens in planning processes? The dissertation seeks to answer this question in an exploratory approach. It is a work rooted in spatial planning with a social science methodology and a transformative impact claim. The research focuses on small medium-sized cities. Firstly, based on the theory of organizational sensemaking, a concept is developed that outlines how the examined construction processes occur within the urban planning office (framed as an organization). Experiences regarding citizen behaviour are viewed and evaluated by members of the planning administration through the lens of their role expectations. Secondly, an exploratory qualitative study is conducted in two medium-sized cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. The specific role expectations and assessments of the planning administrations are reconstructed according to Grounded Theory methodology. This involved conducting expert interviews and group discussions with planners, observing their work, and participating in observations at citizen participation events. The research reveals interpretative patterns prevalent in the urban planning offices and develops theoretical explanatory approaches: It shows that planning law plays a significant role in how professional administrative planners interpret their relationship with citizens. Here, the planning administration itself is seen as an entity that makes factually informed planning decisions with a focus on the common good. Citizen participation is mainly viewed as a means through which citizens provide information. The central interpretative pattern of the administrative urban planners strongly aligns with this legally embedded mental model and works as a cross-situational standard. However, members of the urban planning offices experience constant disappointments concerning their role expectations as citizens behave in another way. Citizens tend to seek political influence rather than merely supporting administrative procedures. Also, professional administrative planners are not always able to act according to their expectations, finding themselves in a dilemma between their own political logic of action and their self-understanding. It becomes clear that conflicting, often unfulfillable expectations contribute to citizen participation becoming a challenge for all involved. The PhD project sees itself not only as a social science analysis but also as a transformative research project aimed at reflecting on role expectations concerning citizen participation together with research partners in the case study administrations. Thirdly, a serious game was designed and carried out to this purpose. This transformative research approach opens new perspectives for organizational development of administrations as well as for reflecting on the research process itself. LB - PUB:(DE-HGF)11 DO - DOI:10.18154/RWTH-2025-07872 UR - https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/1018574 ER -