Shaping the Future of Online Geospatial Means for Public Participation in Environmental Governance
Type: Virtual Paper
Day: 2/27/2022
Start Time: 9:40 AM
End Time: 11:00 AM
Theme: Geographies of Access: Inclusion and Pathways
Sponsor Group(s):
Digital Geographies Specialty Group
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Organizer(s):
Julie Minde
,
,
,
Chairs(s):
Julie Minde, University of Arizona
; Andrea Gerlak, University of Arizona
Description:
Environmental governance, already complex and oftentimes contentious, is expected to become even more so, exacerbated by issues such as climate change, increasingly complicated socio-economic patterns of values and interests, declining trust in government, aging infrastructure, outdated regulation, and challenges associated with modern governance writ large. Although stakeholder participation is well-recognized as key to effective environmental governance, such an environment certainly presents added challenges to public participation. A diversity of approaches to enhance public participation in environmental governance have been adopted and proposed over the past few decades, including collaborative governance, co-production, and traditional ecological knowledge, among others.
Online mapping and other geospatial means – like crowdsourcing, participatory GIS (PGIS), online participatory tools (OPT), and more – are increasingly used worldwide in engaging stakeholders and the public in environmental governance. Online geospatial means have the potential to positively impact public participation in environmental governance. For example, such methods are often praised for their ability to reach more people and to include local knowledge, as well as voices from marginalized communities. They are also promoted for their ability to efficiently gather, organize, and share information.
On the other hand, certain challenges could prove problematic for or exacerbate tensions and inequities already extant in public participation in environmental governance. For example, the “digital divide” could further alienate historically disenfranchised or excluded stakeholders while allowing overrepresentation of more powerful actors. Additionally, the complexity of environmental governance implies that considerable resources must be dedicated to online public participation to be effective, resources that government departments and offices may not be able or willing to expend.
This session explores the question: What is the future of online geospatial means for effective public participation in environmental governance? Related questions include: What does success mean in terms of public participation in environmental governance using online geospatial means? How can online geospatial methods and tools be improved to better support public participation in environmental governance in the future? Do geospatial tools further perpetuate exclusions or inequities in access to processes and decision-making outcomes?
Presentation(s), if applicable
Julie Minde, University of Arizona; Online Geospatial Tools for Public Engagement in Environmental Governance: Case Studies with the US Army Corps of Engineers |
Timna Denwood, ; Paper2GIS: Maintaining analytic potential whilst improving accessibility in Participatory Mapping |
Beatrice Waleghwa, ; Transportation planning using Public Participation GIS: methodological comparisons from Sweden and Finland |
Eric Fournier, ; Building an Inclusive Tool for Distributed Energy Resource Planning Using Public Participation GIS |
Non-Presenting Participants Agenda
Role | Participant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shaping the Future of Online Geospatial Means for Public Participation in Environmental Governance
Description
Virtual Paper
Contact the Primary Organizer
Julie Minde - julie.m.minde@gmail.com