Participation in China's Urban Planning IntroductionWith the development of society and economy, public participation has become a popular topic that has attracted people from different fields. Based on various urban planning theories, a large number of market economy countries have subsequently established public participation systems in the field of urban planning. These successful experiences provide a good guide for China's urban planning to use as a reference; changes in China's politics, economic system and social culture also provide the opportunity to bring a new change to China's urban planning system. This article mainly introduces three planning theories representing different degrees of participation in urban planning, then an analysis of these three theories will be provided in relation to the state of China's urban planning. At the end of this article, I will provide several improvements related to China's urban planning problems. Rational-comprehensive planning theoryAuguste Comte offered the theory of rational-comprehensive planning in the 18th century, which first put forward the concept of theory. He believes that people could realize a higher state of civilization with the help of science, technology and sociology, which is still the main thought of urban planning today (Mäntysalo, 2005). The central thought of rational-comprehensive planning theory is the combination of classical science approaches with studies of society and social phenomena. Comte stated that planners should be the neutral observers who should seek the truth of knowledge (Mäntysalo, 2005). In another way, planners need to be comprehensive when planning in... middle of paper... Planning in ChinaImprovements in China's Urban PlanningReferencesBanfield, Edward C. (1973): “Ends and Means in Planning”, in A Reader in Planning Theory, edited by Andreas Faludi. Pergamon, Oxford, pp. 139-49Friedmann John (1987): Planning in the public domain. From knowledge to action. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey Forester, John (1987): ”Planning in the Face of Conflict: Negotiation and Mediation Strategies in the Regulation of Local Land Use”, Journal of American Planning MÄNTYSALO, R., 2005: Approaches to Participation in Urban Planning Theories. In: ZETTI, I.; BRAND, S. (ed.) Redevelopment of peripheral areas – Brozzi and Le Piagge districts. Department of Architecture and Design Technology. University of Florence. Forester, John (1989): Planning in the Face of Power. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles