The Design and Use of Questionnaires for Participation Practices in Town Planning-- Lessons from the United States and Britain.

One means by which planning agencies may "hear" the constructive views of the public is the questionnaire technique. "A questionnaire is not just a list of questions. . .. It is essentially a scientific instrument for measurement and for correlation of particular kinds of data . . . it has to be specially designed." (Oppenheim). This paper considers the problems of questionnaire design, a number of examples of the use of the questionnaire in the United States and Britain, and attempts to draw lessons and profit from experience for those people committed to the use of the technique in exercises of public participation in the planning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]