Citizenship participation in local and urban planning in Algeria

Participation is a strong reflection of harmony, solidarity and social cohesion in designing and preparing the policy of cities in light of global competition among countries for the advancement of all sectors of the state in various fields. Urban planning is an effective means of controlling urban regulation, considering that governance is one of the general principles of the city policy in Algeria, under which the foundations and approaches seeking to involve citizens, directly or through associations, in the management of programs and activities related to their living environment, as well as the assessment and evaluation of the implications thereof. This study aims to assess citizens’ participation at the local level and the space given to them during the design and the implementation of urban planning tools in the case study of Land Occupancy Plan (LOP) No. 7 in the city of Hammam Dhalaa. The study is based on the analytical descriptive approach and research techniques, such as site visit, observation, and content analysis, in order to provide the necessary recommendations to address a range of obstacles that narrow the space of citizens’ participation at the local level during the design and the implementation of development projects.