Imaginary of Citizen Participation with the Aim of Improving Urban Governance (Case Study: Tehran)

Imaging the future is a common and well-known method aimed creating the desired future or preventing the occurrence of undesirable futures. Imaging is a creative tool for policy making or policy change. Imaging of the future allows policymakers and executives to reconsider current system trends and, by revising and reinforcing them, to prevent possible deviations and pave the way for progress and excellence. Imaginary of citizen participation in the urban management will enable managers to conceive the future, revise and review the current policies and plans to make the desired future.  The current situation scenario has been a possible images for policy and decision-makers. Imaginary of this perspective as well as revision of the processes could act as a valuable, useful tool for managers and urban planners.  According to the evidence of citizen participation in Tehran, this issue has not the desired condition and city managers do not have a clear image of the future in mind.

The present study, assuming the current situation in the next ten years, depicts the view of citizen participation in the form of a possible scenario, and try to revise incompatible strategies and policies.

For this purpose, using interviews, the factors affecting citizen participation were counted and by referring to experts, the drivers of non-citizen participation and their importance and uncertainty were identified. By considering the drivers with critical uncertainty, possible images of the future. Citizen participation in the city of Tehran was drawn and illustrated.

With five drivers identified and maintaining inconsistencies, four scenarios were finally introduced: vulgar democracy, manager-centered city, dramatic management, and ideal city. Realization of the first scenario (vulgar democracy), which is an extension of the current situation in the field of citizen participation, Tehran Municipality faces many challenges, including the financial crisis, increasing people's distance from the government, managerial challenges and ... named. Therefore, these challenges have been tried to be presented through imagery with the aim of reviewing current policies.

To overcome the challenges of the future, it is necessary, today, to take action by the Municipality of Tehran and to adopt strategies in the field of citizen participation and to review some of the policies. In the conclusion section, with emphasis on the picture of the continuity of the current situation, the requirements for change in current policies and approaches have been extracted and discussed.