University Course in Participatory Planning

Since 2025, we have been teaching a university course on participatory planning at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. The course introduces students to how participatory planning works in practice in urban projects, which participatory methods can be used to engage the public, the role participation plays in decision-making about the development of cities and municipalities, and its limitations.

Connecting theory with lived experience is central to the course. Students have the opportunity to try out a range of participatory activities in practice – from exploring what a meeting with residents about a public space project in their neighbourhood might look like, to learning how to communicate effectively about participation in an urban project, collect data, or facilitate community planning. Working in teams, they also design their own participatory processes for projects drawn from real-life practice in Prague.

The pilot course, held in spring 2025, brought together students from disciplines including sociology, anthropology, public policy, and geography. The second edition took place in spring 2026, and we plan to continue the course in the coming years. Our aim is to share our experience with a new generation of professionals and contribute to the continued development of participatory planning in the Czech Republic.