All rights reservedCrespo, José2024-09-172024-09-172016978-85-7785-551-1https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14235/1990Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the southParticipated projects have been shaping architecture and urban design over time. In some contexts, and particular periods, people’s participation and involvement has been pointed out, but in others it has been disregarded and forgotten. In spite of this ambivalence there is a vast referral to participation as a fundamental part of urban management and protect. Blundell-Jones et. al., (2005) report that the involvement of people at some point in the development of a project is a common denominator to all the participated architecture forms. For Garcia (2008) participation is important in maintaining social ties and the relationship of individuals with the power of decision and citizenship. We emphasize public involvement in the planning process as an asset and the participation of citizens as an appreciation of the individual in the social context. In the 60’s, new ideas and theories on participation were tested in developing countries. There, the needs in terms of housing and living conditions were outstanding having served as a laboratory of ideas advocated in the United States and Europe. Public participation only gained popularity from the 70’s. In this period, the discrepancy between the political agreement and the interests of ordinary citizens left the population dissatisfied with the system and powerless over decisions that affected. Thus, the demand for more effective processes of participation of the population has become a manifesto in several Western countries. The 80’s focused mainly on big urban plans of high profitability and accelerated urbanization processes, marginalizing the participation of the population.EnglishopenAccessconferenceObject1293-1295