The Construction of Justice: A Case Study of Public Participation in Land Management

Productive, just management approaches are more likely to be developed on the basis of an understanding of how people make judgments of justice. We propose that acceptable (just) land-use management plans are compatible with salient values. Values are created and come to be salient through the process of social construction. Public participation, as a form of social discourse, can be an important element in the social construction process. To realize this potential, changes in the nature of public participation are required. It is argued that public participation (and other practices) that create new, common values that can be used to develop just land-use managemant practices should be encouraged. A case study of experiences with a county critical areas ordinance is discussed.