Visualization for Citizen Participation: User Perceptions on a Mainstreamed Online Participatory Tool and Its Usefulness for Climate Change Planning

Erik Glaas, Mattias Hjerpe, Martin Karlson and Tina-Simone Neset
Additional contact information
Erik Glaas: Department of Thematic Studies—Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Mattias Hjerpe: Department of Thematic Studies—Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Martin Karlson: Department of Thematic Studies—Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Tina-Simone Neset: Department of Thematic Studies—Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Citizen participation is obligated in municipal planning but is often criticized because of its inadequate implementation. To increase the usefulness of citizen participation and the involvement of underrepresented groups, online participatory tools (OPTs) have attracted attention, in particular, on topics related to climate change. Although many OPTs have been developed and are becoming more widely used, assessments of their usefulness in real-world planning remain scarce. This study aimed to disentangle prospects and pitfalls of this still novel way of practicing citizen dialogue. Specifically, we apply criteria derived from related literatures to assess a mainstreamed OPT in Norrköping, Sweden. The CityPlanner™ tool was discussed with citizens and planners using focus group methodology and semi-structured individual interviews. Moreover, citizen contributions in four applications of the OPT were analyzed. The results reveal that the biggest challenges for citizen dialogues on planning in general and on climate change, in particular, appear not mainly rooted in the technical functions of the OPT. Rather, problems lie in (i) the lack of municipal strategy for citizen participation and in applying OPTs, (ii) a disparagement in citizens’ abilities to contribute to forming robust and sustainable cities, and (iii) in diverging views about the role of citizen contributions. This is reflected in how the OPT is used. While the examined OPT shows potential, the results indicate that visualized contexts for planning might be too scant to be entirely meaningful, and it lacks mechanisms for feedback. Not using the full potential of the OPT makes citizens less engaged and risks to adversely affect learning and citizens’ contributions to solving complex issues.

Keywords: climate change; citizen participation; online participatory tools; planning; visualization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/705/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/705/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:705-:d:310302

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().