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UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are pivotal for studying and fostering sustainable interactions between people and nature. In this study, a public participatory geographical information system (PPGIS) approach was employed targeting key stakeholders across the 12 Portuguese BRs, to map their place-based perception over Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Stakeholders actively mapped NCP within their BRs, highlighting Habitat creation and maintenance (NCP 1), Physical and psychological experiences (NCP 16), and Supporting identities (NCP 17), underscoring the significance of the territories' natural and cultural values. Through our analysis, we identified NCP hotspots, pinpointing the most valued areas for conservation or restoration efforts. Zonation analysis within BRs was also assessed, revealing the perceived effectiveness of the different BR zones by stakeholders. Although our study did not quantify NCP supply through biophysical data, it provided valuable insights into non-material NCP from key stakeholders' perspectives, as well as place-based perceptions of regulating and material NCP provision. We outline that PPGIS may serve as a useful GIS-based decision support system, offering a comprehensive assessment of NCP, especially for cultural values which are not easily quantified by remote methods. Participatory approaches such as PPGIS may play a crucial role in BR governance, enhancing sustainability and equity by integrating key stakeholders' perceptions into land use planning. Our study's findings may contribute on the actionable knowledge advance for sustainable management practices in Portuguese BRs by incorporating stakeholder perspectives, fostering improved co-management practices, and promoting the conservation and enhancement of their ecological and cultural heritage. Key policy highlights: Effective management of territories for sustainability demands the active involvement of local communities in conserving natural resources and landscapes while promoting socio-economic well-being. Participatory approaches with stakeholders provide key outcomes to assess its accomplishment, where UNESCO's Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are pivotal for studying and fostering sustainable interactions between people and nature. We propose that PPGIS may serve as a relevant GIS-based tool to support decision-makers and land managers, depicting the participatory place-based assessment of NCP in the Portuguese Biosphere Reserves. We highlight its relevance especially for cultural values that are not easily quantified by remote methods, reflecting stakeholders' values towards intangible non-material NCP. Our results suggest that incorporating stakeholder perspectives can enhance the co-management of Biosphere Reserves, promoting sustainable practices implementation as advocated by the MAB programme. This approach holds promise on promoting the conservation and enhancement of the Portuguese Biosphere Reserves' ecological and cultural heritage in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational open spaces (ROS), as essential public amenities, provide a multitude of benefits for city residents. The rapid growth of urban population is raising significant concerns about diminishing green infrastructure, shifts in land use, and erosion of valuable ecosystem services. This necessitates the equitable allocation of green infrastructure in appropriate proximity to the city residents. This study assessed disparity in ROS distribution, considering both availability and accessibility at varying administrative levels. The distribution is assessed with respect to resident population, providing special regard to the adolescent age group. Study is conducted taking Bhopal, India as the case. The Green Space Index and the Lorenz curve are utilized to assess social equity of ROS distribution. In addition, location quotient is employed to assess spatial equity concerning ROS distribution with respect to distribution of resident population. The study outcome illustrates that urban park accessibility varies at different administrative levels. Analysis reveals that higher number of ROS do not necessarily translate to higher ROS accessibility, especially for the adolescent age group. This is due to the inadequate size and proximity of ROS to residents, particularly in recent developments. A participatory GIS survey of 651 adolescents is conducted to further confirm the preceding spatial analyses by exploring associations between ROS accessibility and adolescents ROS visits. The prevailing urban ROS planning in India and several developing nations primarily relies on per capita availability and ratios of ROS to developed land. This approach alone is insufficient. The study results hold vital implications and can be incorporated in the existing urban ROS guidelines. This analysis is pivotal for sustainable ROS planning and policy-making, aiming to achieve environmental and social sustainability, centered on population, especially adolescents. Practical Applications: This study centers on assessing the spatial allocation of ROS with a focus on equity considerations. The particular emphasis lies in examining how well the spatial distribution of ROS aligns with the requirements of its population in the same planning region. The outcomes of this investigation reveal that the conventional metrics used in ROS planning, namely the per capita ROS area and ratio of ROS to urban land, do not adequately capture the equity dimensions of ROS provision. The results reveal that spatial misalignment exists in the allocation of ROS and its distribution among the population, especially among adolescents. Furthermore, the results highlight that urban growth and densification can result in a general decline in urban green infrastructure. Such results will help to implement green initiatives across identified administrative levels to enhance the wellbeing of residents with an understanding of the population distribution within a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism development should be economically viable, environmentally responsible, and aligned with community goals. Participation in decision-making ensures that community values are reflected in sustainable tourism guidelines. Traditional methods of public engagement in tourism planning include public meetings, focus groups, and interviews, as outlined in the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) framework, which ranges from education to empowerment. However, the rise of information technology and digital platforms has brought about new participatory channels, such as Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGISs), which use geospatial technologies to improve decision-making. This paper investigates the use of PPGISs in the tourism industry based on a thorough review of peer-reviewed literature from 2000 to 2024. By examining the use of PPGISs in tourism, the study identifies common characteristics and the scope of existing research, emphasizing how PPGISs can be applied across various tourism sectors. The study discovered that PPGIS is a credible alternative to traditional public participation methods and provides useful insights into residents' perspectives on tourism-related issues. This study contributes to the tourism field by thoroughly understanding PPGIS applications, proposing future research strategies, and suggesting how these technologies can enhance public engagement and decision-making in tourism planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of People & Nature is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A significant part of the rural problems is related to infrastructure issues, which can cause economic, cultural, and social problems in villages or rural human settlements. Various methods for evaluating infrastructure issues are currently used traditionally in many countries. However, due to the rapid growth and range of infrastructure problems in the villages, as well as the need for immediate and optimal handling of the problems in the villages, the need for a tool to record and monitor the problems as best as possible is felt more than ever. Today, with the advancement of Geographic Information System (GIS) and web-based tools, a quick and easy platform for participatory and collaborative spatial problem solving has been provided at any place, at any time, and with any means. The current research involves the evaluation of infrastructures in rural human settlements using the Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) tool. The research consists of three main stages: (1) the needs assessment of the PPGIS to solve the infrastructure problems of rural human settlements, (2) the design of the system based on the needs assessment, and (3) the evaluation of the usability of the designed system in the villages. To achieve the above goals, first, a system needs assessment questionnaire was designed and distributed in the villages of Shahriar County, Tehran province, Iran. Then, based on the needs assessment results, a PPGIS was designed and implemented in the villages of Eskman, Dehshad Bala, Razi Abad Bayan, and Asil Abad. The people of these villages were invited to report their problems in a location-based manner through the PPGIS tool and finally to complete the questionnaire related to the system's usability. The results show that 24% reported that water and sewage problems were the highest infrastructure problems. Regarding using the system's features, 92% of the participants used point features to report problems, and 20% uploaded their problem reports along with a photo. The results of the evaluation of the system's usability show that despite the willingness of the villagers to use the system, the need for training in the use of maps and geographic information tools, simplifying and improving the user interface, creating a culture in the field of using geographic information systems to participate in reporting problems is felt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

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.

Petrochemical clusters are forms of industrialization that use compounds and polymers derived directly or indirectly from gas or crude oil for chemical applications. They pose a variety of short- and long-term risks to the environment and the people who live nearby. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the degree of perceived technological risk and the emotional value generated by the contemplation of the petrochemical industry landscape in order to try to establish strategic lines of action to mitigate the perception of risk and improve the emotional well-being of the population. This study uses manipulated pictures and a Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) survey to assess changes in perception and emotional response in residents in Teheran (Iran). Key findings show an insignificant relationship between technological risk and landscape value perception in both original and manipulated pictures. However, taking into account that, in general, in manipulated pictures, there is a more significant relationship, designing the landscape could help to mitigate the technological risk perception. This study contributes to the broader discussion about industrialization and its environmental and social consequences. It emphasizes the importance of considering public perception when planning and developing industrial areas, so as to balance industrial functionality and environmental and aesthetic considerations for long-term urban development.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrochemical clusters are forms of industrialization that use compounds and polymers derived directly or indirectly from gas or crude oil for chemical applications. They pose a variety of short- and long-term risks to the environment and the people who live nearby. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the degree of perceived technological risk and the emotional value generated by the contemplation of the petrochemical industry landscape in order to try to establish strategic lines of action to mitigate the perception of risk and improve the emotional well-being of the population. This study uses manipulated pictures and a Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) survey to assess changes in perception and emotional response in residents in Teheran (Iran). Key findings show an insignificant relationship between technological risk and landscape value perception in both original and manipulated pictures. However, taking into account that, in general, in manipulated pictures, there is a more significant relationship, designing the landscape could help to mitigate the technological risk perception. This study contributes to the broader discussion about industrialization and its environmental and social consequences. It emphasizes the importance of considering public perception when planning and developing industrial areas, so as to balance industrial functionality and environmental and aesthetic considerations for long-term urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory mapping (PM) in contemporary research has seen the proliferation of digital methods and methodologies, notably Public Participation Geographical Information Systems (PPGIS) and crowd mapping, together with extensive utilization of spatial concepts, including landscape, space, and place. This study delves into the potential of PPGIS and crowd mapping approaches to qualitatively investigate the concept of place. Our objective is to determine how data collected in large quantities in crowd mapping projects can serve as input for qualitative and mixed-method analyses of terms such as place meaning, place attachment, placemaking, and agency of place. We employed text data gathered through a custom geoquestionnaire to conduct a thematic analysis. The themes identified included examples of emotional and psychological aspects of human relations to place, descriptions of human-made and natural material qualities of locations. External experts evaluated the resulting themes and concurred that this kind of data is most helpful for analyzing a sense of place and least useful for an agency of place. We posit that PPGIS can uniquely augment place-based research through their provision of precise geospatial information. This characteristic enables researchers to employ both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, fostering a more comprehensive and nuanced exploration of place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are pivotal for studying and fostering sustainable interactions between people and nature. In this study, a public participatory geographical information system (PPGIS) approach was employed targeting key stakeholders across the 12 Portuguese BRs, to map their place-based perception over Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP). Stakeholders actively mapped NCP within their BRs, highlighting Habitat creation and maintenance (NCP 1), Physical and psychological experiences (NCP 16), and Supporting identities (NCP 17), underscoring the significance of the territories’ natural and cultural values. Through our analysis, we identified NCP hotspots, pinpointing the most valued areas for conservation or restoration efforts. Zonation analysis within BRs was also assessed, revealing the perceived effectiveness of the different BR zones by stakeholders. Although our study did not quantify NCP supply through biophysical data, it provided valuable insights into non-material NCP from key stakeholders’ perspectives, as well as place-based perceptions of regulating and material NCP provision. We outline that PPGIS may serve as a useful GIS-based decision support system, offering a comprehensive assessment of NCP, especially for cultural values which are not easily quantified by remote methods. Participatory approaches such as PPGIS may play a crucial role in BR governance, enhancing sustainability and equity by integrating key stakeholders’ perceptions into land use planning. Our study’s findings may contribute on the actionable knowledge advance for sustainable management practices in Portuguese BRs by incorporating stakeholder perspectives, fostering improved co-management practices, and promoting the conservation and enhancement of their ecological and cultural heritage.

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.

Collecting opinions regarding environmental management is essential, particularly in urban areas where space is limited, and interests often collide. However, the impact of the conditions in which the research is conducted on opinions and preferences elicited via surveys and interviews about the environment is usually taken for granted. The recent development of computer-aided survey methods allows a simulation of an environment, which can create an artificial environment for interviews. Therefore, examining whether direct access to the environment impacts opinions and preferences becomes a significant issue when considering environmental policies and management design and execution. This study examines whether the location of an interview, indoors or outdoors (in the vicinity of trees), influences the opinion on the ecosystem services (ES) trees provide. A quasi-experimental method with a map-aided computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) survey in two Polish cities, indoors and outdoors, in the vicinity of trees, shows that respondents’ location did not significantly affect the opinion on the ES provided by trees. However, on average, respondents answering the survey inside buildings marked more trees on a map than those answering outside. We argue that although an interview location does not have a significant impact on the results, from the perspective of various stakeholder groups in participatory processes, the convenience of place is more important than the character of the place (i.e., in the vicinity of trees) as long as the survey method is mediated by a virtual representation of the subject of the study.

The cultural and social benefits of green open spaces (GOSs) are frequently disregarded in environmental planning and policy. The online PPGIS tool, mygreenplace.be, was used to map the cultural ecosystem services (CES) in the GOSs along the Woluwe River. This research aims to clarify the role of CES, spatial qualities and travel distance in GOSs' valuation and their respective environmental planning and management. The analysis revealed that highly valued GOSs (CES hot spots) offer a diverse combination of CES, mainly activities related to playing and exercising, gathering and consuming. Likewise, these popular, highly valued GOSs provide various facilities enabling these activities (e.g. restaurants, water elements and transportation). Although travel distance proved quintessential for using GOSs, other factors, such as their qualities and attributes, can determine whether, and how frequently, respondents use a particular GOS. Finally, the data showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has positively influenced the use of and appreciation for GOSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visiting urban green and blue spaces improves the quality of life in cities as it helps to preserve human-nature bonds. In this context, the role of urban parks and forests has been well-recognised; however, much less is known about the landscapes of inland water bodies. To fill this gap, the study aimed to identify spatiotemporal patterns of recreational activities in the urban riverscape in relation to the visitors’ residential proximity. Also, survey results were combined with spatial and remote sensing data to determine how the spatial characteristics of the riverscape affect its recreational use. The case of Warsaw, Poland, was used. The results indicated that the riverscape serves as a local park for the neighbouring communities, while it is rather a warm-weekend attraction for far-living ones. Visitors concentrate in the city centre, and spread out along the communication paths; however, spatial patterns of the magnitude of particular activities also show interbank differences. Spatial error models of drivers of riverscape recreation revealed (1) the multifaceted role of trees in densely visited areas and (2) the importance of physical availability for contact with the urban river. These findings expand knowledge on the recreational use of urban rivers by exploring its place-related motivations.

Informal settlement livelihoods in South Africa are characterized by a structural waiting for housing improvements. Participatory mapping and enumeration (PME) are a key tool for Capetonians NGOs to tackle urban injustice and improve livelihoods. Unfortunately, PME evaluation and empowerment dynamics are often linked and reduced to the PME final output (data, cartographic artefact, etc.). Based on an action-research PME project implemented by a Capetonian local NGO and by S section informal settlement's community (Khayelitsha), this paper explores PME as an empowering strategy for activating the waiting phase for housing. Drawing on postcolonial approach, this paper frames empowerment as "topological resonances" enabled during PME through the dual dynamics of "translation" and "connectedness." Translation and connectedness are applied to the case study of S Section and allow for the capture of interstitial yet critical empowerment dynamics that go beyond PME outcomes alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the perceptions and driving factors behind villagers' changing perceptions of landscape values in the context of drastic landscape changes in traditional Chinese villages. Empirical evidence emphasizes the interplay between local residents' values and the local policy framework. This study establishes a method to capture the landscape values and preferences of rural community residents by combining participatory mapping with questionnaire interviews. We identified the evaluation of changing landscape values by rural residents and extracted four categories of rural development orientations, namely, economic benefits, emotional culture, public participation, and environmental protection. Furthermore, we delved into the significant heterogeneity in landscape value changes among different social groups. This study highlights the role of villagers' value judgments in guiding the scientific formulation of traditional village conservation and development policies and promoting the socially sustainable development planning of traditional villages. The research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the rural community's needs and preferences for the local landscape as well as the convergence and divergence between these needs and the government-led rural development trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) is a facilitated Volunteered Geographic Information approach and data collection method that aims to capture the spatial experiences of individuals. Although we experience the space around us three-dimensionally, altitude, as the third dimension, has been often absent from PPGIS research and practice. This is largely because of the complexity of implementing surveys in 3D but can also be attributed to a lack of analytical preparedness for using such data. This study complements 3D PPGIS data collected from a pilot study of the Aninkainen block in Turku, Finland with synthetic, i.e. artificially manufactured, data to propose an analytical framework for the study of 3D PPGIS data. The analytical framework divides methods based on the geographical scale into two groups: micro- and macro-scale analysis. In this framework, we propose the use of geospatial metrics to analyze 3D PPGIS data. We argue that while this multidisciplinary area of research is in its infancy, use of intuitive 3D adapted geometric and landscape metrics can help overcome some of complexities associated with use of this emerging participatory data. We conclude by outlining the limitations and envisioning areas for future research.

This study addresses the gap in knowledge regarding effective design practices for crowdmapping in participatory mapping, considering the diverse agendas, expectations, and needs of stakeholders. Through interviews and analysis of a crowdmapping project, we developed a roadmap and guidelines to inform the design process of a web-based crowdmapping tool. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on end-user evaluation, our paper explores the perspectives of facilitators and developers involved in the participatory process. By understanding their motivations and perceptions, we can plan and design user-friendly tools that meet the requirements of all stakeholders in participatory mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces play a key role in constructing an ecological civilization in China. In this context, the realization and assessment of the social value of urban green spaces have received increasing attention. Taking the visitors of the Summer Palace in Beijing as the research object, this study used the public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) to collect research data, assess the social value of ecosystem services in the Summer Palace, and determine its spatial distribution. By examining the social value of urban green spaces, this study explored the relationship between the spatial distribution of ecosystem social value and environmental landscape features. The influence of different environmental values on the spatial distribution of the visitors' perceived social value was also investigated to provide a decision-making basis for the planning and management of urban ecological spaces and the supply and protection of urban ecological products. This study found that cultural, historical, and aesthetic values were preferred by an increasing number of visitors. The hotspots of social value in the Summer Palace of Beijing have three cores and multiple centers. By analyzing the relationship between the three value types with higher preference and the environmental landscape features of the Summer Palace, this study found that the distribution of social values is closely related to the architectural complexes and waters. Anthropocentrists have smaller sample sizes and generally lower social value indices within the sample group, and ecocentrists have higher perceptions of overall social values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key advantage of public participation GIS (PPGIS) tools has been seen as increasing the polyphony of urban planning by reaching the wisdom of crowds. However, the challenge is to enable participation for those who do not have the skills or resources. This article describes participatory action research where the authors of the article collaborated with a local city planning activist at the Kontula Mall, Helsinki (Finland) to improve the participation of a group marginalized from the renewal process (i.e., immigrant entrepreneurs) using a PPGIS tool (Maptionnaire). The case study provided insights into the potential for city planning activism to bring out marginalized groups’ perspectives and use PPGIS. Moreover, the research also revealed barriers to polyphony in current planning practices. Nevertheless, planning activism can enable the participation of the marginalized by coming into contact with them, providing them with information, and bringing their perspectives to the collaboration. The PPGIS tool can serve as a platform to collect participatory data through different response modes. Local activism can also facilitate the questionnaire’s co-design, testing, and marketing. Therefore, a bottom-up approach can be a way to improve the impact of PPGIS and enhance polyphony in urban planning.

In the last twenty years, citizen participation has become a formal requirement in landscape and heritage planning all over Europe. The European Landscape Convention (2000), in particular, encourages public participation in defining landscape heritage values and identifying strategies for its protection, management and planning. However, despite the development of various participatory methods, citizen participation in landscape planning remains rarely applied in practice. With an empirical case study, the research presented in this article tries to bridge the gap between theory and practice, evaluating a methodology in which citizens, stakeholders, planners, and heritage experts are invited to co-design a spatial strategy for local cultural landscape valorisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Planning Education & Research is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Las ciudades latinoamericanas crecen hacia las periferias, fragmentando el conector con su contexto natural. Un caso representativo es el área metropolitana de Mendoza (Argentina), con más del 60 % de la población provincial. Su piedemonte, entre el límite oeste del conglomerado metropolitano y los Andes, es uno de los ecosistemas más estudiados: por su fragilidad y amenaza; y la importancia funcional, ambiental y paisajística. Esta investigación incorpora el paisaje como elemento transversal en el ordenamiento del piedemonte, cartografiando los valores intangibles del paisaje, generalmente excluidos de las variables para la gestión territorial. Basados en principios de ciencia ciudadana y mapeo participativo georeferenciado (PPGIS), este enfoque recupera los intangibles del paisaje, por su capacidad de generar vínculos afectivos entre sociedad y entorno. Como resultado pueden obtenerse cartografías capaces de espacializar la dimensión perceptivo-emocional de las personas, para generar alternativas que permitan incluirlas como herramienta de gestión y planificación en perspectiva de paisaje.

Abstract Exposing children to green environments has multiple benefits. However, safety concerns may discourage parents from allowing their children to participate in physical leisure activities. This study employed a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) questionnaire to explore whether and how park characteristics influence safety perceptions of 241 parents regarding their children’s active, unstructured play and independent mobility. The survey was distributed to parents who were accompanying their children in Cairo’s Al-Azhar and Al-Dawliya parks. Respondents identified places they considered safe and unsafe and reported their overall perceived level of safety based on photographs taken in the two parks. The results showed that parents were more afraid of the threat of crime compared to other potential risks. Moreover, secluded and densely vegetated places with inadequate lighting were perceived as unsafe. The study contributes to the ongoing discussion on creating safe environments for children and proposes ways to reduce parents’ safety concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latin American cities grow towards the peripheries, fragmenting the connector with its natural context. A representative case is the metropolitan area of Mendoza (Argentina), with more than 60% of the provincial population. Its foothills, between the western limit of the metropolitan conglomerate and the Andes, is one of the most studied ecosystems: due to its fragility and threat; and the functional, environmental and landscape importance. This research incorporates the landscape as a transversal element in the ordering of the foothills, mapping the intangible values of the landscape, generally excluded from the variables for territorial management. Based on principles of citizen science and participatory georeferenced mapping (PPGIS), this approach recovers the intangibles of the landscape, due to its ability to generate affective links between society and the environment. As a result, cartographies capable of spatializing the perceptualemotional dimension of people can be obtained, to generate alternatives that allow them to be included as a management and planning tool in a landscape perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions to connect humans with nature at system leverage points are crucial for sustainability transformations. Identifying hotspots of deep leverage points can help provide guidance and managerial suggestions. Contemporary research on sustainability encourages public participation amongst stakeholders and the production and use of scientific knowledge. This study argues that hillside rural activities connect humans with nature but alters the natural landscape. Therefore, to determine hillside rural activity hotspots is to identify leverage points for interventions to promote human–nature reconnection. To elucidate the status of hillside rural activities in rural areas as leverage points in sustainability transformations, this study used a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) to inventory and verify the complex and diverse relationships between hillside rural activity and land use. Using the Zhuoshui River Basin as a case study, this study hosted PPGIS workshops to collect data on stakeholders' perceptions of hillside rural activities and their spatial locations. The analysis revealed that the respondents mostly identified shallow leverage points involving facility maintenance and agricultural production, and sales. Agricultural land use and water conservancy were closely associated with deep leverage points, indicating the necessity to maintain a foundation of continuous agricultural production. Entropic land use was also associated with deep leverage points. This study found that interventions at deep leverage points can highlight the need for proper land use management and the multitude of services it provides. Land use management interventions may facilitate sustainability transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the perceptions and driving factors behind villagers’ changing perceptions of landscape values in the context of drastic landscape changes in traditional Chinese villages. Empirical evidence emphasizes the interplay between local residents’ values and the local policy framework. This study establishes a method to capture the landscape values and preferences of rural community residents by combining participatory mapping with questionnaire interviews. We identified the evaluation of changing landscape values by rural residents and extracted four categories of rural development orientations, namely, economic benefits, emotional culture, public participation, and environmental protection. Furthermore, we delved into the significant heterogeneity in landscape value changes among different social groups. This study highlights the role of villagers’ value judgments in guiding the scientific formulation of traditional village conservation and development policies and promoting the socially sustainable development planning of traditional villages. The research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the rural community’s needs and preferences for the local landscape as well as the convergence and divergence between these needs and the government-led rural development trajectory.

This study presents MyGävle, a smartphone application that merge long-term tracking of mobility data, heart rate variability and subjective and objective well-being records. Developed to address the challenges faced in researching healthy and sustainable lifestyles, this app serves as a pioneering implementation of Real-life Long-term Methodology (ReaLM). After eight months' use by 257 participants from Gävle (Sweden), we evaluate the completeness, accuracy, validity, and consistency of all data collected. MyGävle produced remarkable results as a ReaLM method. On average, it precisely tracked participants daily locations for approximately 8 h and accurately collected heart-rate variability values throughout the day (12 h) and night (6 h). Participants reported 5115 subjective place experiences (ranging from 160 to 120 per week) and seasonal participation, although declining, is accurate. Our findings indicate that the amount of data collected through smartphone sensors, fitness wristbands and in-app questionnaires is consistent enough to be leveraged for integrated assessments of habits, environmental exposure, and subjective and physiological well-being. Yet, considerable variation exists across individuals; thus diagnostic analysis must precede use of these datasets in any particular research endeavors. By doing so we can maximise the potential of ReaLM research to delve into real life conditions conducive to healthy living habits while also considering broader sustainability goals.

Measures of individual mobility, such as activity space, have been previously used to help improve our understanding of individuals' interactions with their everyday environments. However, such methods have rarely been adopted in studying children's physical activity and active travel behavior. In this study, we use a combination of participatory mapping and accelerometer data collected from children aged 8–13 years living in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, to describe children's travel behavior and explore associations of active travel, physical activity, and socio-demographic characteristics with environmental attributes. The results from this study reveal complex associations between these different layers. Density of cycling routes was consistently associated with higher levels of physical activity captured via moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), prevalence of active travel, and total activity space exposure. Nevertheless, population density, greenspace, and land-use mix revealed varying associations across different activity behaviors including MVPA, number of steps, and prevalence of active travel. The results from this study not only reassert the complexity of person–environment relationships, but also highlight the potential impacts of measurement and analytical methods on the study results. The novel combination of participatory mapping and accelerometer data together with activity space analysis provided new analytical insights which we discuss in this paper. This study concludes by reporting its observations and envisioning future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decisions are a key element of spatial planning processes and in the face of increasing public participation in local governance, they become even more complex. The diversity of stakeholders in planning processes causes a significant increase in the number and scope of articulated expectations, needs, and knowledge that could be integrated into the process. Along with the participatory approaches in spatial planning, a departure from the expert-oriented decision-making model towards its collaborative form is expected. As everyday users of space, residents have knowledge about the functioning of its elements resulting from their experience, the so-called experiential knowledge. The study aimed to investigate the role of residents' input in diagnosing space in spatial planning processes using public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS). The article presents the study's results conducted in Poznan, Poland, among residents and urban planners using geo-questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The article presents the characteristics of the residents' contribution to the spatial diagnosis and the possibilities and limitations of the involvement of residents' knowledge collected using a geoweb tool in the professional work of urban planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the implementation of the petrochemical industry, the population of Camp de Tarragona began living with a chemical risk, and after two consecutive years of chemical-related accidents with fatalities (in 2019 in the firm Carburos Metálicos, and in 2020 in the firm IQOXE), it is necessary to know the population's perception of this activity. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the population's risk perception regarding the petrochemical industry, by applying a Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS). To this end, the risk perception data obtained from the PPGIS were correlated with the sociodemographic data from the surveys; an analysis was made of the perceived risks associated with this activity and what its possible effect would be on a territorial level, always from the point of view of the surveyed public. The results showed that the population clearly identifies on the map what the main sources of chemical risk are and which places would be affected by a possible explosion. In addition, it was verified that certain sociodemographic characteristics, such as gender or age, affect people's perception of the risk, and that the weather conditions and anomalous situations within the industry also influence people's perception, indicating high values of danger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important public facility in cities, hospitals provide services that are vital to people's lives. Big data is representative of geographic data from numerous sources. It has the advantages of large amounts of data, high timeliness, and abundant information, which may compensate for the inadequacy of traditional planning and design, which is overly subjective. Big data can be used to obtain large-scale human movement data to study hospital characteristics from a supply–demand balance perspective. Here, 182 comprehensive hospitals in three districts of Shenzhen were picked as an example, and multi-source data were introduced as a quantitative assessment tool to analyze them. First, the mobile public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) was researched and developed independently and used to collect volunteered geographic information (VGI) data, which was adopted to quantify hospital service supply. Second, the population's demand for hospitals was characterized by the quantified point of interest (POI) data. Finally, the location entropy method was utilized to quantify the levels of supply and demand for comprehensive hospital services from a supply–demand balance perspective, which was used to guide the classification of the comprehensive hospitals. The result shows that: (1) the service scopes and the service pressure are different for the same type of comprehensive hospitals classified by the traditional method; (2) the spatial distribution of patients is related to land function; (3) the overlap area between the part with a high service pressure level in the comprehensive hospital and the part with high medical demand of the patient is prone to service blindness. This study paves a new way to optimize the spatial allocation of medical institutions or other types of public facilities, rationalize resource allocation, and alleviate urban transportation congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation has impaired the capacity of urban rivers to provide ecosystem services. In the last decades, many river restoration projects have been carried out worldwide with the objective of recovering ecological integrity and the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services. In this paper we analyse the impact of the renaturalisation of the Manzanares river in Madrid, Spain, in the attractiveness of the surrounding green space for outdoor recreation. Two complementary mapping methodologies, ESTIMAP-recreation model and public participation geographical information systems (PPGIS), were used to analyse recreation potential and actual use. The results show that the renaturalisation of the river has improved ecological quality as well as recreational attractiveness, increasing the capacity to provide a wide range of ecosystem services. Both methodologies produce complementary results. The areas close to the river are those with the highest recreation potential. However, actual use is not only conditioned by recreation potential but also by proximity to the place of residence, accessibility, security, and other landscape characteristics that could not be captured by ESTIMAP model, such as sense of place. We conclude that even in highly modified urban rivers, renaturalisation with low-cost actions can highly improve the capacity to provide ecosystem services and recommend using complementary methodologies to capture the diversity of user preferences for outdoor recreation to design urban green spaces. • ESTIMAP model and PPGIS are complementary methodologies to map outdoor recreation. • Low-cost renaturalisation actions in urban rivers contribute to recreational attractiveness. • Recreation potential is defined by proximity to the river, biodiversity, vegetation and facilities. • Actual use depends on recreation potential but also on accessibility, security, beauty or sense of place. • Ecological quality can be improved as well as recreational attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telecoupling theory studies how land use is affected by human–environmental systems in different ways and avoids a binary opposition at local and global scales. The current study attempts to use the PPGIS approach in telecoupling research, taking the Kalibuan village in Taiwan's high mountains as a case study; defining the scope of telecoupling systems from a local perspective; and analyzing the effect and significance of PPGIS research methods. The study observed that researchers were able to collect the various perspectives and information obtained through public participation methods, including social relations, historical and cultural contexts, and ecological conditions, and improves the quality of the data through mutual discussions and data verifications. We can obtain historical data, social-nature coupled data, and cross-scale data via the contribution of GIS visualization, storage, and zoom in/out functions, as well as by facilitating telecoupling research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) is a facilitated Volunteered Geographic Information approach and data collection method that aims to capture the spatial experiences of individuals. Although we experience the space around us three-dimensionally, altitude, as the third dimension, has been often absent from PPGIS research and practice. This is largely because of the complexity of implementing surveys in 3D but can also be attributed to a lack of analytical preparedness for using such data. This study complements 3D PPGIS data collected from a pilot study of the Aninkainen block in Turku, Finland with synthetic, i.e. artificially manufactured, data to propose an analytical framework for the study of 3D PPGIS data. The analytical framework divides methods based on the geographical scale into two groups: micro- and macro-scale analysis. In this framework, we propose the use of geospatial metrics to analyze 3D PPGIS data. We argue that while this multidisciplinary area of research is in its infancy, use of intuitive 3D adapted geometric and landscape metrics can help overcome some of complexities associated with use of this emerging participatory data. We conclude by outlining the limitations and envisioning areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]