This article examines recent attempts to increase participation in planning. To this end a framework which focuses on the dynamics between the contrasting modes of governance which exist within such reforms is developed to understand and characterise emerging experience. In particular, the tension between participatory and representative modes of governance is highlighted. This framework is used to examine a local case study, Cowley Road Matters, in Oxford, UK. The resulting analysis suggests that a contradictory potential for participation is emerging as these tensions play themselves out on the ground. The article argues that a focus on the dynamics of participation can help move analysis away from dichotomous views on the prospects for participation and can provide a framework for exploring the range of likely outcomes in different places.
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