"At long last we have a great book on public participation in the planning process. Designing Public Consensus presents examples of the interaction between architects, planners, landscape designers, engineers, and the public. More important, Barbara Faga presents situations when that interaction has worked, when it has not, and why. She is able to extract, from what she has dubbed "civic theater," practical recommendations for professionals who practice in a democracy that requires such interaction." --From the Foreword by Alexander Garvin, former vice president for planning, design and development for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation

Designing Public Consensus is an insightful and useful resource for architects, planners, and urban designers, with case study examples illustrating approaches for working with small towns, large cities, government agencies, citizen activists, community groups, and other stakeholders.

By examining the public process implemented by EDAW and a variety of design firms in urban design projects of different scales, Faga reveals the lessons learned by the design practitioners. Throughout the case studies, first-person accounts by the designers, government officials, clients, and other stakeholders reveal the moments of brilliance as well as the good intentions gone wrong.