Public participation in spatial planning is a vital means to successful policymaking and can be enhanced by combining geospatial tools and methods with participatory learning and action.
A pilot study in Bhopal, India finds that the primary obstacle to sustaining public participation is not technological, but instead a lack of conceptual awareness of added value and short-term effectiveness of ‘second order solutions’. The study involved local authorities and civil society organisations in an informal settlement during Covid-19 lockdowns. We outline key approaches that emphasise short-term, feasible, and low-cost ways to embed community voice into participatory spatial planning, and spatial information and communications management.
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