FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING: TOURISM IN THE VILLAGE OF NORTH UTICA, ILLINOIS

Abstract

Participatory economic development planning has been proposed as a means to address problems associated with more traditional "top-down" planning methods. Purposeful solicitation of participation in development planning by a wide variety of stakeholders is said to breed community consensus, ensure more equitable distribution of development's costs and benefits, and facilitate representative decision making that considers all stakeholder interests. Tourism development planning has also become increasingly "participatory" and for many of the same reasons. This dissertation reports on a nine-month ethnographic assessment of participatory development planning, generally, and tourism development planning, specifically, in the Village of North Utica, Illinois. Commonly called "Utica," the village has a long association with tourism due to the establishment of two nearby state parks at the turn of the 20th century and the presence of local water recreation and hiking opportunities. Village emphasis on tourism increased at the turn of the 21st century as a result of several events, including: the village government's adoption of a comprehensive plan that emphasized participatory tourism development; a deadly tornado killed nine people and damaged much of the downtown residential and business districts; and the village became home to the state's first indoor water resort. This dissertation describes the ways participation is incorporated into tourism development planning, factors that influence stakeholder participation in those decisions, and stakeholder perspectives on the industry and associated development planning processes. It raises questions about the consequences of participatory development and the contexts surrounding civic participation in economic development planning. Data analysis suggests that certain types of participation are enframed in the places in which that participation occurs just as certain economic growth ideologies are enframed in local geography. These ideologies and types of participation are reinforced by common linguistic frames and the practice of governmentality. Ultimately, I conclude that those interested in development should consider the physical, linguistic, and social contexts surrounding development and the assumptions and agendas entailed in specific development paradigms.