Mehr Legitimität : zur Wirksamkeit partizipativer Verfahren in räumlichen Planungsprozessen$nElektronische Ressource Zusammenfassung: Conflicts are inherent to spatial planning processes. When these conflicts spread beyond the specific scope of the project debates about the method to integrate concerned actors in the planning process are common. Public participation is seen in these cases as a solution for such planning related legitimacy crises. However the question arises as to whether expectations of public participation in relation to the balance of interests authorized planning processes and technically sound decisions in environmental planning are justified. This thesis will contribute to answer that question by investigating planning processes in the field of flood protection. It was the main objective of this research to clarify in how far and under which conditions participatory processes can indeed improve spatial planning processes