Just a talking shop? - Informal participatory spatial planning for implementing state wind energy targets in Germany

Many authors call for participatory approaches to spatial planning in dealing with land use conflicts on wind energy. In one region of Saxony, planning officials established an informal working group on wind energy to complement statutory spatial planning. In a qualitative case study, we found that the conflicting discursive frames in the participation process proved to be stable and were modified only marginally. The outcomes of the working group can be explained by the character of the initial frames and other contextual factors. Regarding planning practice, we suggest discussing contested planning issues in a wider context.