Civic engagement in the process of land use planning: Case study of small municipalities in the Czech Republic

Civic participation within the implementation of changes in the territory is a valuable tool for ensuring social sustainability and overall sustainable development; at the same time, it provides valuable feedback for politicians and experts who implement land use planning in practice. The main objective of the article is to identify in what way civic engagement is carried out in the area of land use planning, in what segments and under what circumstances citizens enter the planning process, and how often they use their legal options to influence it. The research was focused on small municipalities in the Ústí nad Labem Region with a population of 350 to 449. The field research was carried out in the form of discussions with individual mayors of the municipalities. In the Czech Republic, participation of citizens in land use planning does take place, but only to a limited extent. Citizens usually enter the process of land use planning if they are pursuing a particular interest or trying to influence an intention which may affect the entire life of the municipality. In the long term, it is appropriate to motivate inhabitants towards participation through the local government presenting the actual results achieved by the use of data and information from citizens. The article provides a comprehensive view of the issues of civic participation and its practice in small municipalities of the Czech Republic, from the viewpoint and perception of their mayors.