Public participation has become a standard component of environmental decision-making processes. Frequently used methods of public involvement, such as public comments and hearings, however, are too often reactive in nature, involve insufficient deliberation, and engage only a small number of...

Attention to the need for greater stakeholder involvement in environmental decisionmaking has been increasing in recent years. The authors draw on a number of cases of environmental planning in the Great Lakes Region in an attempt to understand the possible benefits stakeholder processes can...