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Local Agenda 21: ‘Meaningful and Effective ’ Participation?

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Book cover Public Participation and Better Environmental Decisions

‘Local Agenda 21’ (LA21) refers to the general goal set for local communities by Chapter 28 of the ‘action plan for sustainable development’ adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. Chapter 28 is an appeal to ‘local authorities’ to engage in a dialogue for sustainable development with the members of their constituencies. This dialogue seeks for a new participation process where the communication between local authorities and all local stakeholders goes beyond existing and traditional consultation. By nature LA21 is therefore a participatory reform. What is unique about LA21 as a participatory reform is that Chapter 28 of the Agenda was developed at the supra-national level. LA21 is being actioned in more than 6,400 local authorities in 113 countries (CSD, 2002).

Given that LA21 is a supra-national initiative it leaves considerable room for cross-national variation as to how, when, and why, the LA21 idea becomes salient. The substance of any particular ‘Local Agenda 21’ will be related to the specific nature of the local community in question (its geography, demography, economics, society, and culture) (Lafferty & Eckerberg, 1998). In this respect Chapter 28 can cope with diversity between local authorities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Twente, School of Management and Governance, Center for Clean Technology and Environmental Policy, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

    Frans Coenen

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  1. Frans Coenen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Clean Technology and Environmental Policy, MB/CSTM, University of Twente, School of Management and Governance, PO Box 217, Enschede, AE, 7500, The Netherlands

    Frans H. J. M. Coenen

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Coenen, F. (2009). Local Agenda 21: ‘Meaningful and Effective ’ Participation?. In: Coenen, F.H.J.M. (eds) Public Participation and Better Environmental Decisions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9325-8_10

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