Planners’ embedded participation on rural revitalization in remote China: a comparative analysis of two small garden initiatives

Abstract Rural revitalization and sustainable development, while globally desired, pose heightened challenges in remote regions that experience geographical seclusion and social-cultural disparities. These factors can impede effective planner engagement with local communities, potentially leading to planning initiatives lacking feasibility and sustainability. With government support and guidance, planners have become key forces in promoting rural development as facilitators of community engagement and drivers of institutional change. Through participatory observation and comparative analysis of small garden initiatives in two remote villages, this research reveals that compared to floating, activity-based involvement, planners’ embedded participation significantly bolsters the efficacy of villager engagement and fosters collaborative governance among multiple village stakeholders. The findings indicate that planners with long-term objectives are more effectively integrated into the rural construction process, which, in turn, amplifies villager participation and consolidates the impact through institutional embeddedness. By leveraging embedded theory, this study elucidates the essential function of planners in encouraging villager involvement. It provides both actionable insights and theoretical underpinnings for public participation in China’s remote rural area, guiding strategic national resource allocation and contributing to the broader understanding of rural development dynamics.