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PPGIS and Public meetings : an evaluation of public participation methods for urban planning

Gardevärn, Daniel LU (2017) In Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science GISM01 20171
Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate two public participation methods. The two methods are public meetings and Public participatory GIS (PPGIS). Public meetings are an established public participation method for urban planning in Sweden. The thesis aims to test the hypothesis if PPGIS is more effective as a public participation method.

The thesis first evaluated the two methods with the help of a framework for evaluating participation methods. The framework defined what effective participation methods were. An effective public participation method was assumed to gather high volumes of data for planners to use and be representative of the respondents. Other key factors for efficiency were cost-effectiveness,... (More)
The primary purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate two public participation methods. The two methods are public meetings and Public participatory GIS (PPGIS). Public meetings are an established public participation method for urban planning in Sweden. The thesis aims to test the hypothesis if PPGIS is more effective as a public participation method.

The thesis first evaluated the two methods with the help of a framework for evaluating participation methods. The framework defined what effective participation methods were. An effective public participation method was assumed to gather high volumes of data for planners to use and be representative of the respondents. Other key factors for efficiency were cost-effectiveness, independence of respondents and influence of comments on decisions-making. A GIS-analysis to demonstrate the possibilities of a PPGIS was also conducted. Data for this study were gathered with the help of City of Helsingborg.

The results suggest that the hypothesis could not be rejected. It was concluded that PPGIS is a more effective participation method, however a combination of both methods would further benefit the public participation. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Den här studiens primära syfte är att jämföra och utvärdera två medborgardialogs metoder. De två metoderna är samrådsmöten och Public participatiory GIS (PPGIS). Samrådsmöten är en etablerad metod inom medborgardialog för samhällsplanering i Sverige. Uppsatser syftar till att pröva hypotesen om PPGIS är en effektivare metods för medborgardialog.

Uppsatsen utvärderade först de två metoderna med hjälp av ett ramverk för utvärdering av medborgardialogs metoder. Ramverket definierade var effektiva medborgardialogs metoder var. En effektiv medborgardialogs metod antogs vara en metod som samlade stora mängder data från medborgarna samt vara en representativ metod för respondenterna. Andra viktiga faktorer för effektivitet var... (More)
Den här studiens primära syfte är att jämföra och utvärdera två medborgardialogs metoder. De två metoderna är samrådsmöten och Public participatiory GIS (PPGIS). Samrådsmöten är en etablerad metod inom medborgardialog för samhällsplanering i Sverige. Uppsatser syftar till att pröva hypotesen om PPGIS är en effektivare metods för medborgardialog.

Uppsatsen utvärderade först de två metoderna med hjälp av ett ramverk för utvärdering av medborgardialogs metoder. Ramverket definierade var effektiva medborgardialogs metoder var. En effektiv medborgardialogs metod antogs vara en metod som samlade stora mängder data från medborgarna samt vara en representativ metod för respondenterna. Andra viktiga faktorer för effektivitet var kostnadseffektivitet, självständighet för respondenter och dialogens inverkan på beslutsfattande. En GIS-analys för att visa på möjligheterna av ett PPGIS genomfördes också. Data för denna studien samlades in med hjälp från Helsingborgs stad.

Resultaten visade att hypotesen kunde inte avböjas. Slutsatsen drogs att PPGIS är en mer effektiv medborgardialogs metod. Däremot, en kombination av båda metoderna kan ytterligare gagna medborgardialogen. (Less)
Popular Abstract
Asking the public about their opinions in urban planning is a legal obligation for Swedish city council. This is referred to as public participation. The study tries to answer a questions whether public meetings, or map-based surveys (known as PPGIS) is the better participation method.

City councils in Sweden are responsible for the planning of their city. In the process, they are also required to consult the public regarding the plans. Apart from the legal obligations, consulting the public may benefit the planners. More perspectives and ideas can give the planners easier and better solutions for the problems. Traditionally, the most common public participation methods in Sweden are public meetings or workshops. But a new method, which... (More)
Asking the public about their opinions in urban planning is a legal obligation for Swedish city council. This is referred to as public participation. The study tries to answer a questions whether public meetings, or map-based surveys (known as PPGIS) is the better participation method.

City councils in Sweden are responsible for the planning of their city. In the process, they are also required to consult the public regarding the plans. Apart from the legal obligations, consulting the public may benefit the planners. More perspectives and ideas can give the planners easier and better solutions for the problems. Traditionally, the most common public participation methods in Sweden are public meetings or workshops. But a new method, which is map-based surveys (PPGIS), can challenge the traditional methods.
The study is based on a comparison between traditional methods and PPGIS. The comparison is based on several criteria forming a framework for evaluation participation methods. The methods involve also analyses on data gathered from PPGIS-surveys.

The results indicated that PPGIS is a better method for public participation than public meetings. PPGIS scored higher on all but one criterion. Additionally, data gathered from PPGIS allows planners for new perspectives and gives better ground. This is a very interesting score which shows that PPGIS should be employed in more consultation processes in Sweden. It is important to remember that PPGIS should not replace public meetings. Instead, a combination of the two methods should be employed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Gardevärn, Daniel LU
supervisor
organization
course
GISM01 20171
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
GIS, Geography, PPGIS, public participation, public meetings, planning decisions support system
publication/series
Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science
report number
74
language
English
id
8926179
date added to LUP
2017-09-22 16:04:57
date last changed
2017-09-22 16:04:57
@misc{8926179,
  abstract     = {{The primary purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate two public participation methods. The two methods are public meetings and Public participatory GIS (PPGIS). Public meetings are an established public participation method for urban planning in Sweden. The thesis aims to test the hypothesis if PPGIS is more effective as a public participation method.

The thesis first evaluated the two methods with the help of a framework for evaluating participation methods. The framework defined what effective participation methods were. An effective public participation method was assumed to gather high volumes of data for planners to use and be representative of the respondents. Other key factors for efficiency were cost-effectiveness, independence of respondents and influence of comments on decisions-making. A GIS-analysis to demonstrate the possibilities of a PPGIS was also conducted. Data for this study were gathered with the help of City of Helsingborg. 

The results suggest that the hypothesis could not be rejected. It was concluded that PPGIS is a more effective participation method, however a combination of both methods would further benefit the public participation.}},
  author       = {{Gardevärn, Daniel}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science}},
  title        = {{PPGIS and Public meetings : an evaluation of public participation methods for urban planning}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}