Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning
Web-based participatory mapping technologies are being increasingly harnessed by local governments to crowdsource local knowledge and engage the public in urban planning policies as a means of increasing the transparency and legitimacy of planning processes and decisions. We refer to these technolog...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/11/783 |
| _version_ | 1797510083634003968 |
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| author | Ian Babelon Jiří Pánek Enzo Falco Reinout Kleinhans James Charlton |
| author_facet | Ian Babelon Jiří Pánek Enzo Falco Reinout Kleinhans James Charlton |
| author_sort | Ian Babelon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Web-based participatory mapping technologies are being increasingly harnessed by local governments to crowdsource local knowledge and engage the public in urban planning policies as a means of increasing the transparency and legitimacy of planning processes and decisions. We refer to these technologies as “geoparticipation”. Current innovations are outpacing research into the use of geoparticipation in participatory planning practices. To address this knowledge gap, this paper investigates the objectives of web-based geoparticipation and uses empirical evidence from online survey responses related to 25 urban planning projects in nine countries across three continents (Europe, North America, and Australia). The survey adopts the objectives of the Spectrum for Public Participation that range from information empowerment, with each category specifying promises about how public input is expected to influence decision-making (IAP2, 2018). Our findings show that geoparticipation can leverage a ‘middle-ground’ of citizen participation by facilitating involvement alongside consultation and/or collaboration. This paper constitutes a pilot study as a step toward more robust and replicable empirical studies for cross-country comparisons. Empowerment (or citizen control) is not yet a normative goal or outcome for web-based geoparticipation. Our evidence also suggests that information is pursued alongside other objectives for citizen participation, and therefore functions not as a “low-hanging fruit” as portrayed in the literature, but rather as a core component of higher intensities of participation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:26:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8d8e327f37304d6f8afea90f2061a1c7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2220-9964 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:26:43Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
| spelling | doaj.art-8d8e327f37304d6f8afea90f2061a1c72023-11-22T23:36:47ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642021-11-01101178310.3390/ijgi10110783Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban PlanningIan Babelon0Jiří Pánek1Enzo Falco2Reinout Kleinhans3James Charlton4Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UKFaculty of Science, Palacky University Olomouc, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech RepublicDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, I-38123 Trento, ItalyDepartment of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The NetherlandsDepartment of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UKWeb-based participatory mapping technologies are being increasingly harnessed by local governments to crowdsource local knowledge and engage the public in urban planning policies as a means of increasing the transparency and legitimacy of planning processes and decisions. We refer to these technologies as “geoparticipation”. Current innovations are outpacing research into the use of geoparticipation in participatory planning practices. To address this knowledge gap, this paper investigates the objectives of web-based geoparticipation and uses empirical evidence from online survey responses related to 25 urban planning projects in nine countries across three continents (Europe, North America, and Australia). The survey adopts the objectives of the Spectrum for Public Participation that range from information empowerment, with each category specifying promises about how public input is expected to influence decision-making (IAP2, 2018). Our findings show that geoparticipation can leverage a ‘middle-ground’ of citizen participation by facilitating involvement alongside consultation and/or collaboration. This paper constitutes a pilot study as a step toward more robust and replicable empirical studies for cross-country comparisons. Empowerment (or citizen control) is not yet a normative goal or outcome for web-based geoparticipation. Our evidence also suggests that information is pursued alongside other objectives for citizen participation, and therefore functions not as a “low-hanging fruit” as portrayed in the literature, but rather as a core component of higher intensities of participation.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/11/783Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)citizen participationmap-based surveysspectrum of public participationcommunity engagementgeoparticipation |
| spellingShingle | Ian Babelon Jiří Pánek Enzo Falco Reinout Kleinhans James Charlton Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) citizen participation map-based surveys spectrum of public participation community engagement geoparticipation |
| title | Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning |
| title_full | Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning |
| title_fullStr | Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning |
| title_short | Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning |
| title_sort | between consultation and collaboration self reported objectives for 25 web based geoparticipation projects in urban planning |
| topic | Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) citizen participation map-based surveys spectrum of public participation community engagement geoparticipation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/11/783 |
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