Assessment of popular participation in the development of social housing plans in Rio Grande do Sul

This paper evaluates popular participation in the elaboration of nine Local Plans for Social Housing (PLHIS) in Rio Grande do Sul state. It assesses the levels of participation achieved, the difficulties encountered during the participatory process, the effectiveness of the methods applied, the public's interest in participating, and the potential of the internet as a tool for participation. It also discusses new possibilities for popular participation through the internet. Popular participation has increased in society in recent years, mainly due to legislations that compel its adoption through instruments such as public hearings, with the goal of increasing the participation of citizens in decision making. However, some criticism suggests there are problems in the participatory methods commonly applied. Therefore, considering the need to qualify popular participation, ex post evaluation of the participatory processes is needed. As part of the methodology, questionnaires were applied to consultants, municipal technicians, and the population in order to compare the perceptions of these three groups of interest. Results show, for example, primary levels of participation, problems such as difficulty in conveying technical information in accessible language, and the population's disinterest in the topics addressed.