Beyond Regular Power Brokers? Exploring Coproduction as a Civil Society Strategy to Reposition Itself and Extend its Power in Planning

The paper explores coproduction as a promising approach for reframing the planner-citizen relationship on more equal terms. A Montréal-based case study shows how coproduction, initiated by a local non-profit organization, enabled civil society to reinforce its position and extend its power and influence in knowledge-building, envisioning, and agenda-setting in planning. The results show that the relationship between planners and civil society in coproduction is more diverse than previous studies have presented, and that the latter’s roles go beyond complementary and supplementary ones. Consequently, the paper contributes to the discussion on coproduction’s limits and potential to renew planning practices.