That Stubborn Mr. Vedder

There is a lot that can go wrong in a planning process. The design can be wrong, the construction lacks confidence, the functionality of the design doesn’t meet future requirements and many other parts of a design may proof not adequate. In some cases this leads to opposing opinions and resistance. Realisation of the design delays and construction times are extended. Sometimes the design needs to be adjusted because there is no adequate solution for a risen problem. In many cases the people, which the design concerns, are not a part of the process, are not talked to or with or are only ‘consulted’ at the end. Often these people are seen as an annoying and necessary evil to be dealt with at the end of the planning process. Especially when these people become obstructive it causes frustration with the initiators of a certain plan. However, there are ways to overcome these and involve and communicate with the people that are concerned with the effects of planning initiatives. In this chapter some bad and good examples illustrate the necessity to shape the design process in a way in which people can participate and contribute to the process.