Professional Approaches to Community Participation in Urban Planning in Ogun State

Community participation in urban planning is recognized as a professional and ethical obligation in contemporary planning practice, yet its implementation in Nigerian state planning authorities remains variable and often tokenistic. This study examines professional approaches to community participation in urban planning processes within Ogun State, evaluating the methods employed by the Ogun State Urban Development Authority and its affiliated planning offices. A qualitative professional practice design was used, reviewing community participation provisions in planning legislation, project documentation of community engagement activities in three recent local area planning processes, and interviews with 13 planning practitioners, community development officers, and civil society representatives. Findings are expected to document a gap between legislated community participation requirements and actual practice, with public hearings being the dominant participation tool but offering limited genuine influence over planning outcomes. The study examines how capacity, time, and resource constraints shape the nature of participation facilitated by planning officers. Recommendations propose adoption of a structured community participation framework specifying participation methods appropriate to each planning process type, professional training modules on participatory planning techniques for Ogun State planning staff, formal feedback mechanisms requiring planning authorities to document and respond to community inputs, and piloting of digital participation platforms for broader community engagement in local planning decisions. Keywords: Community participation, Urban planning, Ogun State, Professional practice, Planning governance.