Engaging Citizens in Cultural Planning with a Web Map Survey

Abstract

This article discusses the use of a web map survey tool for cultural mapping in Nikkilä, in the municipality of Sipoo, Finland. Nikkilä has in place an ongoing cultural planning and development process that involves collaborative planning between the municipal urban planning department and the cultural department. Cultural planning is a culturally sensitive approach in urban development. The main goal in cultural planning is to study ‘sense of place’ and discover what makes the place distinctive. The starting point of the process is to study the experiences and visions of local inhabitants and other public stakeholders regarding the area and its resources. Cultural mapping is a central part of a process that aims to increase the welfare and attractiveness of Nikkilä by utilizing existing cultural resources. This paper describes the participative design process of the web map survey, which was used as a cultural mapping tool to engage citizens to participate in the cultural planning process. Based on the case study, we are convinced that a web map survey is suitable for use as a cultural mapping tool. However, to achieve a good result it is necessary to invest in the design as well as the marketing of the survey. User-centred methods, such as collaborative planning, can be used to engage different user groups in the design of the survey. The earlier that prospective respondents can be involved in the collaborative design of a survey, the better results can be expected, quantitative as well as qualitative.

Keywords: web map survey, cultural mapping, citizen participation, public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS)

Résumé: Cet article discute de l’introduction d’outils de cartographie web dans le cadre de la planification culturelle de Nikkilä, dans la municipalité de Sipoo en Finlande. La zone de Nikkilä a depuis longtemps mis en place un processus de planification culturelle en collaboration avec le Département de planification urbaine et le Département de la culture. La planification culturelle est une activité sensible dont l’objectif principal consiste à cerner ce qui participe à l’identité d’un espace de la ville, et permettant de relever ce qui lui confère son caractère distinct. Pour Nikkilä, la planification culturelle permet de mettre en lien les ressources culturelles disponibles afin de rendre la région plus attractive. Cet article met en relief l’utilisation des nouveaux outils web de planification culturelle et leur utilisation dans le cadre de projets de design culturel participatif. L’étude de cas démontre l’utilité de ces nouveaux outils de planification culturelle. De plus, cet article rappel l’importance du design et du marketing pour le succès de l’application des nouveaux outils de planification en ligne.

Mots clé: carte topographique en ligne, cartographie culturelle, participation du citoyen, systèmes d'information géographique publics et participatifs