Abstract
Considering the power of web-based tools for crowdsourcing, planning organizations are increasingly using these technologies to gather ideas and preferences from the public. These technologies often generate substantial, unstructured data about public needs. However, our understanding of the use of crowdsourced information in planning is still limited. Focusing on the City of Cincinnati Bike-share planning as a case study, this article explores the challenges and considerations of using crowdsourced information. Employing mixed analysis methods, the article analyzes participant suggestions and examines whether and how those suggestions were incorporated into the bike-share plan. Interpretive analysis of interviews provided insights about suggestions that were used in the final plan. The results highlight organizational opportunities and limitations. A variety of organizational factors affected the utility of crowdsourced information in Cincinnati bike-share plan. These include the capability of the planning organizations to analyze data and facilitate participation, and the perception of planners about the value of crowdsourced information and local knowledge.
Highlights
How do planners and professionals use crowdsourced information in planning? What considerations should they take into account? Considering the importance of local knowledge in planning, and the ability of web-based technologies in crowdsourcing this knowledge, local governments and planning consultants are increasingly using new technologies to gather information from stakeholders (Evans-Cowley, 2010; Schweitzer, 2014)
Crowdsourced information can be useful in infrastructure planning, but is not immune to the issues of data quality or organizational capability compared to other data collection methods (Goodchild, 2007)
This study focuses on the use of crowdsourced information from a web-GIS tool to engage citizens in the City of Cincinnati’s bike-share feasibility study
Summary
How do planners and professionals use crowdsourced information in planning? What considerations should they take into account? Considering the importance of local knowledge in planning, and the ability of web-based technologies in crowdsourcing this knowledge, local governments and planning consultants are increasingly using new technologies to gather information from stakeholders (Evans-Cowley, 2010; Schweitzer, 2014). Crowdsourced information can be useful in infrastructure planning, but is not immune to the issues of data quality or organizational capability compared to other data collection methods (Goodchild, 2007). Some planning organizations struggle with the costs of conducting public meetings, while others struggle to even attract citizen participation (Afzalan & Evans-Cowley, 2015; Rhoads, 2010). Some organizations are hesitant about the value of citizens’ knowledge in responding to complex planning problems where expert-based knowledge is considered more useful (Corburn, 2005). These challenges influence how planners see the value of crowdsourcing methods
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