Over the last few years the idea of civil society in Poland have grown substantially. This increase allowed local communities to influence the legal and administrative changes leading to a gradual shift in the decision–making processes of local governments. The article presents system of public participation in spatial planning, Revitalisation Statute and Participatory Budget to show how legal changes increase possibilities of local community participating in Poland. 

The ‘Bottom-up’ Process – The Idea of Planning Development and Space Design Based on a Social Participation

Bottom-up is an idea of inclusion of city inhabitants into planning and projecting processes. The basis of this approach is a real participation, engagement, cooperation and common decision-making by various actors of projecting process. A key role in the process is played by a local society perceived as a subject and the most important recipient of the outcome. The bottom-up process is based on the professional facilitation of content based on recognized legal and ethical assumptions. The main aim of the article is to present ideas and the most important assumptions of the bottom-up process in the context of socializing the planning and development processes. The article consists an analysis of the roles of particular participants of the press. Also, it includes a presentation of Dutch experiences in co-realizing planning processes with inhabitants. The article was created as a result of the author’s experiences gained through the participation in the project entitled “PWP – nowatorskie narzędzie kształtowania przestrzeni publicznej”.