L. Karimifard - Department of Architect and Urban Planning, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Urban management in any context has a different economic, social and political structure, which is in harmony with the existing models of organization. In spite of these differences, in order to reach a sustainable urban development, several different conferences should be referred to. In the Brundtland Commission 1987 about urban sustainable development these definitions have been given: preservation and promotion of the quality level of city life.This consists of ecology, culture, politics, economies, and social participation. However, this development should in nocase weigh on and create any problems for the future generations . In all the definitions of urban management and urban sustainable development and in any political context citizens’ participation in decision making and insistence on social justice are mentioned. The aim of this article is a descriptive, analytic, and comparative study of different models of popular participation in different developed countries. Each of these countries has different social and political structure. However they all have the same aim which is the citizens’ empowerment. To reach the ideal urban management model it is necessary to have a clear image of the place and participation of citizens in order to create a socially, economically and politically sustainable developed society.

Participation; Participatory model; Public participation; Urban management; Urban sustainable development