Public Participation GIS Research Articles

The citizens have participated – what now? An action research study of factors impacting the use of participatory citizen knowledge in planning processes

ABSTRACT Citizen participation is embedded into planning practice and policy, yet it remains unclear how the results of participation are shared in planning organisations and utilised to inform planning outcomes. This article examines barriers and enablers for systematic gathering, sharing and utilisation of participatory citizen knowledge and analyses the collaborative development of knowledge-sharing practices in two Finnish municipalities. The article focuses specifically on the collection and dissemination of local, experiential knowledge from two municipality-wide Public Participation GIS surveys. The study adopts an action research approach to deepen the understanding of planners' complex relationships with participatory citizen knowledge: how they gather and share it, how it informs their work and how they develop their everyday practice. The results suggest that a variety of practical, technical and cultural factors influence whether planners access and utilise gathered citizen knowledge. Planners' backgrounds, skills and personalities also influence how they perceive and utilise citizen knowledge. When provided with accessible and representative data about citizens' behaviours and preferences, adequate resources and a sense of agency through supportive organisation culture, officials from different sectors were eager to develop the use of participatory knowledge. These emergent practices can be used to inform wider iterative development to meet practitioners' needs.

Perceived tourism implicit conflict among community residents and its spatial variation

This study explores tourism implicit conflict and its spatial dynamics in rural China. It proposes that residents in different spatial structures within tourism communities perceive implicit conflicts differently. Data were collected through public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) mapping and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that conflict perceptions vary by residential structures. Residents in core and peripheral areas experienced heightened economic and cultural conflicts. In contrast, those in expanded areas were more concerned with issues of tourism governance. The study also highlights two key spatial aspects of perceived conflict: internality, the overlap within their residential areas, and significant externality, which spreads across the entire ancient town. From a combined spatial and psychological perspective, this study proposes the concept of spatial relative deprivation to explain resident’s perceived tourism implicit conflict. This study affirms that qualitative-spatial analysis sheds light on socio-cultural phenomena, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the underlying conflict mechanisms in a spatially explicit manner. The findings suggest that tourism planning should consider the intrinsic and micro-values of communities.

Social values for biodiversity and carbon flow in cities

Abstract Urban green areas contribute to climate change mitigation, support biodiversity and host a wide range of social values important for urban residents. Understanding the interplay between social values, biodiversity and carbon flow in urban green areas is vital for socially sustainable urban climate and biodiversity policy, but relationships between the three remain poorly explored. We assessed spatial and non‐spatial relationships between relational and intrinsic social values, biodiversity and carbon flow, in green areas across Helsinki, Finland, using logistic regression and spatial overlap analyses. To achieve this, we utilized pre‐existing datasets on modelled biodiversity and carbon flow, and a public participation GIS (PPGIS) survey dataset depicting over 16,000 spatially referenced social values for green areas mapped by a sample of 3237 residents of Helsinki. We found that non‐spatial relationships between social values, biodiversity and carbon flow are value‐specific and diverse in terms of strength, shape and direction. Spatial overlap between priority areas of social values and those of biodiversity and carbon flow was moderate and variable across different urban contexts. This diversity was further nuanced by the result that urban residents of different socio‐economic contexts valued green areas in different ways. Policy implications. Our findings imply that successfully leveraging urban green areas for simultaneous benefits to climate, biodiversity and social outcomes depends strongly on the surrounding social and ecological urban context. Key to maximizing synergies and balancing trade‐offs between the three are inclusive and participatory planning processes that jointly assess the social and ecological values of green areas. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Scale dimensions in public participation GIS: an overview for planning and research

Questions of spatial scale infiltrate Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) in multiple phases of the data collection from the design of a PPGIS survey to the use of the produced spatial knowledge. This paper provides an overview on how spatial scale and scale effects influence the use of PPGIS tools and the validity and usability of the spatial data they produce. The paper approached scale from two complimentary perspectives: as a concept in human geography and as an attribute of cartographic representation in geographic information science. This discussion is organized around three main viewpoints on scale and PPGIS, namely (1) scale in data collection denoting the geographic extent of the study area and the study population, (2) scale in survey design manifested in technical issues, cartographic representation, usability, and design of the mapping activities, and (3) scale and scale effects in the analysis of PPGIS data and the production of spatial knowledge. Together, these views on scale outline the main scale-related issues to consider when planning a PPGIS survey or working with secondary PPGIS data.

Measuring and reducing the ecological risk of community tourism for ecosystem conservation

The escalating ecological risks associated with Community Tourism (CT) pose a significant threat to ecosystem conservation worldwide, yet methods to predict and prevent CT-induced problems remain underexplored. In the context of the pronounced emphasis on the economic advantages of CT and its extensive implementation, the spatial prediction of CT-induced ecological issues and the corresponding effective preventative strategies are crucial. This study integrates composite indicators, Public Participation Geographic Information Systems, spatial statistics, and scenario analysis to develop Community Tourism Ecological Risk Models (CTERMs). Using the Qinghai Lake region as a case study, this study quantifies the spatial distribution of ecological risks associated with CT, identify priority areas for intervention, and propose enhanced mitigation strategies. Results indicate that CTERMs effectively pinpoint sites of ecological concern, making them valuable tools for forecasting CT-induced problems. Although high-risk areas constitute a small portion of the study area, significant disparities among communities highlight three clusters requiring urgent preventive measures. The current tourism concession layout is inadequate for mitigating CT-induced ecological risks. Adjusting the locations of concessions, while maintaining their current number, can significantly reduce ecological threats and protect endangered species. These findings demonstrate that strategic concession placement offers considerable ecological benefits. As new frameworks for biodiversity conservation are being considered, conservation scientists and policymakers are presented with an opportunity to integrate community development, poverty reduction, and ecosystem conservation by utilizing CTERMs for the strategic allocation of concessions.

Beyond the backyard: Unraveling the geographies of citizens’ engagement in digital participatory planning

Despite the emergence of virtual spaces as arenas for public participation, the geographies of digital participation have gained relatively little attention. Besides considering who participates and why, there is an evident gap in research considering the spatial relationships between the participants of digital urban planning processes and the spaces that are the subject of their participation. This paper proposes a working concept of the spatiality of participation that distinguishes between the spaces in which participation occurs, the spatial realities of the participants, and the spaces as objects of participatory planning. Relationships between these dimensions are investigated empirically with a Public Participation GIS study set in Espoo, Finland, involving 1,731 citizens and over 6,800 future planning and development ideas mapped across the city. The results of the study support prior research observing that e-participation has the potential to spatially expand participation processes both in terms of the involved public and the spatial knowledge they produce. However, our results also show that online participation may capture spatial ties between people and places that differ from those of traditional participation modes, ranging from place-protective behaviors close to the residential location to more casual spatial attachments.

The Australian Park Life project: Development of a nationally standardised spatial layer and public participatory GIS for greenspace in Australian capital cities

This paper introduces the ‘Australian Park Life Project’ and describes a protocol to standardise the capture and collation of public open greenspace spatial data across Australian cities. This method will progress greenspace research allowing for unique coherent national analyses and comparative research across Australia. We also outline the development of the Park Life public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) to spatially explore what, and how, public open greenspaces are being used by Australian communities. The combination of community crowdsourced spatial data providing location-specific information on the green public open spaces used, in combination with the national spatial layer of greenspace allows for unique analyses exploring the role of greenspace provision and design on use and represents a transformative strategy in shaping public open space policy and strategy.•A spatial layer of public open greenspace was created for the eight Australian State and Territory capital cities using a standardised data capture and collection method from local government planning schemes and land use data, and listings of managed and demarcated parks and reserves.•The Park Life public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) was built to capture spatially referenced information on the use of greenspaces - specifically what spaces are used, and how they are used.

Usability of PPGIS tools exemplified by geodiscussion – a tool for public participation in shaping public space

Abstract The article explores the usability of the geodiscussion administrative panel, an online tool aiding Public Participation Geographic Information Systems. This tool was specifically designed and developed for distribution in a Software as a service model, offering geodiscussion users the flexibility to leverage the tool without the need for substantial investments in expensive infrastructure or complex deployments. The research primarily centers on the geodiscussion administrative panel, a key component empowering organizers of public consultations in spatial planning to efficiently create and manage consultation processes. In contrast to previous studies that focused on the usability for consultation participants, this research uniquely targets individuals responsible for organizing and overseeing the consultation processes. A diverse array of usability research methods were employed, ranging from the creation of personas and conducting direct interviews based on test scenarios to non-invasive methods for recording user activities. The study involved 682 participants who had prior experience with public consultations across various public administration units and representatives from consulting firms. Given that the usability studies were an integral part of the geodiscussion administrative panel’s development process, the research team has the opportunity to influence the further implementation of the applied functionalities. This implies that insights gained from the research can actively shape and enhance the tool’s features as it progresses in its development cycle.

How has digital participatory mapping influenced urban planning: Views from nine planning cases from Finland

Although the successfulness of public participation projects has been studied from many different perspectives, there is a lack of knowledge of how participation influences the planning outcomes. Through the interview study of nine Finnish urban planning projects, we studied how the use of a digital public participation GIS tool has influenced the outcomes of urban planning. In the selected cases the information collected with a PPGIS tool has been highly valued by the planners, leading to concretely influential participation in 6 out of 9 cases. In these cases, the planners gave concrete examples of how the information had influenced the created plan or draft. We created a model that describes how the information produced by participants is traveling from the participants to the outcome of the planning process. With this model, the main factors limiting the degree of influence were recognized, and actions were presented that could increase the influence.

A Public Participation GIS for Infrastructure Assessment in Rural Human Settlements

A Public Participation GIS for Infrastructure Assessment in Rural Human Settlements

Mapping landscape values and exploring sense of place in a threatened mangrove biodiversity hotspot: the Sundarbans delta, Bangladesh

ABSTRACT The Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh underpins local livelihoods in multiple ways, but its ecological integrity is under threat. In this paper, we seek to explore how local people value the Sundarbans landscapes spatially and how the Sundarbans contributes to their sense of place. To elicit spatially distributed landscape values, we applied a Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) method with 344 local people of the Sundarbans in the Bagerhat district, Bangladesh, and we collected 2007 geo-locations. Our study reveals that the Sundarbans mangrove forest is most frequently valued for enabling social activities (37.3% of all identified points). Other important landscape values were fishing, aesthetics, recreation, and honey collection, which were relatively widely distributed throughout the Sundarbans protected area. The local people also identified dependency on the Sundarbans for their livelihoods and for protection against biophysical threats such as cyclones and storms. The Sundarbans forest shapes people’s sense of place in the form of place identity, place attachment, and place dependence. This study demonstrates the value of spatial data and investigating sense of place in policy and planning for mangrove biodiversity hotspots.

Border controls and (im)mobilities: experiences from a public transport node

The Öresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark was opened in 2000, allowing both road traffic and fast commuter trains to travel between Malmö and Copenhagen. Various agreements have long facilitated passport-free travel. However, at the end of 2015, temporary border controls were first introduced. This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of portrayals in the news media and everyday mobility experiences relating to border controls, with a special focus on Hyllie Station in the city of Malmö, in southern Sweden. The article is based on a compilation of the way Hyllie Station has been depicted in the news media for a deeper contextual understanding combined with a public participation GIS dataset focusing on the safety and security experiences of public transport nodes. Hyllie station, border controls and the presence of security personnel are depicted in different ways and at different levels. The complexities of life are intensified due to the daily cross-border commute and extra time required by border controls. The issue of mobility justice is raised, and the interrelationship between power and mobility becomes more and more tangible. Hyllie is a traffic node wherein the barriers of mobility and immobility become blurred, and power is displayed on different levels.

Between the local and the global? - reindeer herders’ perspectives on land use challenges and conflicts in the Sámi homeland, Finland

ABSTRACT Rapid increase in new land uses is one of the biggest threats to reindeer husbandry in Fennoscandia. We conducted a partly facilitated online Public Participation GIS survey to study reindeer herders’ perspectives on the impacts of land uses on reindeer herding in Inari, in the Sámi Homeland, Finland. The herders found that predators, husky safaris, hunting, mineral prospecting, gold mining, and forestry have had the most negative influence on reindeer herding, but they were most concerned about the cumulative effects of multiple land uses. Nature conservation was reported as having the most positive impact on reindeer herding. Map markings of the herders indicated that new land uses should not be directed to grazing areas but to population centers with existing infrastructure. The facilitated PPGIS survey encompassing interviews was found to be time-consuming, but trust-inspiring and interactive in that it enabled detailed discussions with the herders.

Redefining Neighborhood Boundaries Using Activity Spaces: Bringing Together Soft Spaces and Spatial Analysis to Further the Discussion on Planning in Functional Spaces

Neighborhoods are typically conceptualised as static administrative units with clearly defined boundaries. However, residents’ everyday mobility forms activity spaces which are variable in both extent and fabric. This study introduces a novel aggregate model of individualized activity spaces based on Public Participation geographic information system (PPGIS) data collected in Espoo (Finland) to capture the variable and fuzzy character of the spaces people frequent in their everyday lives. Building on the theoretical concept of soft spaces, we propose a GIS-based method for identifying functional neighborhoods which could be useful in planning practice with a view to knowledge, actor involvement, and planning policies.

Seeing through their eyes: Revealing recreationists’ landscape preferences through viewshed analysis and machine learning

Planning for outdoor recreation requires knowledge about the needs and preferences of recreationists. While previous research has mainly relied on stated preferences, recent advances in spatial data collection and analysis have enabled the assessments of actual usage patterns. In this study, we explored how landscape characteristics interact with the attributes of recreationists to determine their area choice for recreation. Using a public participation GIS (PPGIS) approach we asked residents of a Swedish city in the boreal region to draw typical recreational routes and identify favourite places for recreation on a digital online map (1389 routes, 385 individuals). We employed a novel methodology, where LiDAR data was used to calculate what was visible along all routes and at favourite places (viewsheds) in order to more realistically capture the landscape that each recreationist had experienced. Using machine learning modelling, we compared landscape characteristics of experienced areas with areas available to each recreationist. Our novel approach yielded accurate models that revealed that water environments, recreational infrastructure and deciduous forests increased the probability of choosing an area for recreation, while urban environments, noise, forest clearcuts and young forests had the opposite effect. Characteristics of the recreationists such as age, gender, level of education, or of the activity, such as type of activity performed, did not meaningfully influence area choice. Our findings suggest that it is possible to improve the conditions for recreation by developing recreational infrastructure, maintaining recreation opportunities close to waters, and adapting forest management in areas important for recreation.

Creating development scenarios for Harran district/Türkiye with geodesign and financial analysis

Urban and regional planning in developing and developed countries faces many challenges, among them lacking support of stakeholders. Geodesign is a new approach in the framework of Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems addressing this problem. While Geodesign works have been carried out throughout the world they were separated from economic analysis. In this project, two different development scenarios for Harran District located in Southeast Turkey were elaborated using Geodesign methodology. Due to the importance of this region for agricultural production and its potential for tourism, the focus of this work lies on these sectors. The included financial analysis revealed the huge benefits of a scenario adopting early environmentally friendly technologies. The Net Present Value could be eight times higher if a conversion to orchards on some lands were realized. To streamline the computation of financial benefits on a strategic level an extension to the used GeodesignHub software was developed.

Using public participation gis to understand texas coastal communities’ perceptions and preferences for urban green space development in connection to their perceptions of flood risk

Urban green spaces, a form of green infrastructure, provide cities with a number of opportunities to build urban resilience to withstand a wide range of urban challenges, such as land-use change, climate change, biodiversity loss, and physical and mental health. Despite their benefits to communities, urban green spaces are among the most valuable and attractive areas for development and are most susceptible to urban development. Therefore, careful planning of the green space network is needed,requiring diverse voices from not only city policymakers and planning experts but also local residents. This study investigated residents’ perceptions and preferences for green space development and its association with perceived flood risk. Data were collected from residents residing in two Texas Gulf Coast cities via a Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) platform. Our analyses revealed that Texas Gulf Coast residents assigned a full spectrum of landscape values to their existing urban green spaces with aesthetic and recreation values being most frequently identified. Notably, across the city landscape, urban green spaces that were most favored by residents tended to be green spaces with water bodies, large in scale and offered a broader array of facilities/amenities. These spaces were also identified as flood-prone areas, presenting opportunities for green space improvement, flood protection, and preservation. In addition, we observed a significant association between residents’ risk perception and the number of locations across the city landscape they perceived as posing the greatest flooding threat. Our findings illustrate a need to promote multiple landscape values of urban green spaces, especially in its ability to protect the city from future flooding. This research highlights how PPGIS can support green infrastructure planning as well as enhance public participation in green infrastructure planning processes.

Spatial interactions between perceived biophilic values and neighborhood typologies in urban wetlands

Wetlands provide a wide range of ecosystem services; however, little is known about their perception value or use for improving urban planning and wetland management. This study explores the perception values towards the Los Batros Wetland in Chile, by inhabitants from different neighborhood typologies. A sample of 457 responses evaluated the wetland by applying the Kellert framework of 9 biophilic values using a Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) approach. A spatial autocorrelation analysis with hotspot revealed that the spatial distribution of biophilic values varies by neighborhood typology. Subsequent ANOVA and T-test suggest that such distribution is affected by perceived accessibility and visitation purposes, and is influenced by socio-demographic aspects that vary among neighborhood typology. Inhabitants of the garden city typology located next to the wetland area, whose residents have higher education and income levels and who have easy and moderate access to the wetland, agreed with a diverse type of biophilic values. In the garden city, the ecologistic-scientific value has the higher spatial concentration. In the condominium typology, with similar education and income levels and accessibility, but situated far from the wetland, there was less agreement with biophilic values, and these were more dispersed, i.e. biophilic values are less representative. In this case, the aesthetic value prevails over others. At the north area of the neighborhood unit, where residents had lower education and income levels along with moderate to difficult physical access to the wetland, but they developed horticultural activities alongside the wetland, inhabitants agree with various biophilic values, highlighting its symbolic value. Conversely, biophilic values of people in the favela were not in agreement nor disagreement, regardless they have similar physical access and distance to the wetland as residents in the condominium typology, but have the lowest income and education level. Findings suggest that effective wetlands management requires appreciation of the clusters of values assigned to wetland environments, which in this case relate to neighborhood typologies. These clusters should be considered when planning to restore, protect, and improve urban wetlands.

Your Favourite Park Is Not My Favourite Park: A Participatory Geographic Information System Approach to Improving Urban Green and Blue Spaces—A Case Study in Edinburgh, Scotland

Access to urban green and blue spaces (UGBSs) has been associated with positive effects on health and wellbeing; however, the past decades have seen a decline in quality and user satisfaction with UGBSs. This reflects the mounting challenges that many UK cities face in providing appropriate public facilities, alongside issues such as health inequalities, an ageing population, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. At present, little is known about the preferences of different population subgroups and, specifically, the UGBSs they visit and the spaces they avoid. Using a public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS), the overall aim of the research presented here was to investigate the preferences of different population subgroups in urban areas, and the UGBSs they visit, using Edinburgh, Scotland as a case study. We created a baseline visitor demographic profile for UGBS use, and highlighted how visitors perceive, physically access, use, and engage with UGBSs. The results revealed considerable variation in UGBS preference: one person’s favourite UGBS may be one that someone else dislikes and avoids. It is clear that adapting UGBSs to suit local communities should not be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. The conflicting views and preferences of different groups of respondents point to the importance of developing policies and park management plans that can accommodate a variety of uses and experiential qualities within individual parks. PPGIS approaches, such as those utilised in this study, offer opportunities to address this issue and provide evidence to increase equitable UGBS usage.

Towards a sustainable city: Deciphering the determinants of restorative park and spatial patterns

Urban parks have been found to provide mental health benefits. Some empirical studies have tested natural features and perceptual measures respectively, announcing their contribution to psychological restoration. However, inconsistent findings were occasionally reported, whereas few attempts have been made to combine both observed and perceptual factors for validation. Little is known about the variation of restorative drivers and their spatial patterns. To address these problems, this study combined public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) and deep learning method to capture visual qualities of landscape features along with several important perceptual measures. A typical urban park in Wuhan, China, was selected for a pilot study, and 1560 crowdsourced on-site images were collected, with thematic and geographic information being integrated. A series of statistical models, e.g., OLS, QRM, and MGWR, were employed successively for validation. The results showed that landscape preference, place attachment, greenery and water were validated as the global explanatory factors to estimate the conditional mean of psychological restoration. The variation of influential effects of these factors were detected at different restoration levels. There exist spatial heterogeneity for these influential factors on restorative effects. Findings provided new knowledge on a deeper understanding of the subtlety of restoration drivers and their spatial patterns. The findings offered useful insights and guidance for urban planners in creating high-quality green parks with restorative values.