154 | 160 Saba Golchehr IS INTEGRATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF THE EXCLUDED NEEDED?
Currently the Alderman of Housing and Spatial Planning of Rotterdam wants to save the renewal plans of the housing corporation by seeking other investors as corporations, banks and pension funds to take over the development plans of Vestia. While this search could lead to the continuation of the development of the plans, chances are that there will be no large parties interested in investing in the renewal of this deprived neighbourhood. Furthermore the housing corporation Vestia did not only invest in the development of housing and program in this neighbourhood, they also invest in the social climate and the emancipation of the neighbourhoods residents. So in order to keep the development with this social responsibility intact there is a need for a planning system that aims at supporting and empowering the weakest residents in these neighbourhoods. The threat of involving external investors to the regeneration of this neighbourhood is the loss of this way of social neighbourhood renewal. The municipality in this way acts merely as a project developer with a main interest of housing the most profitable groups (high educated inhabitants) in these deprived areas. In the participatory planning system I propose the role of the municipality needs to evolve from acting as a developer towards being a facilitator. The municipality should act as a link between the people (and local organizations) and the larger stakeholders (as project developers or other investors). In the proposed planning system with a stakeholder approach the municipality facilitates and controls the participation and cooperation between the two levels of involved parties. In this way each development in the neighbourhood is aimed at the emancipation of the neighbourhoods residents. So in order to reach a neighbourhood renewal which focuses on the empowerment, emancipation and progressive integration of the weakest residents, the municipality needs to act as a facilitator and a protector of a participatory planning system instead of a project developer.