What Role Does Visualization Play in Communication with Citizens? - A Field Study from the Interactive Landscape Plan

Abstract

The potential of the new media to support citizen participation in landscape planning and to improve citizen understanding and acceptance of environmental measures was examined in the implementation and development project (E+E-Vorhaben) 1 “Interactive Landscape Plan Koenigslutter am Elm” (http://www.koenigslutter.dea Button: Interaktiver Landschaftsplan). An online landscape planning system was developed and tested during the development of the landscape plan for Koenigslutter am El m, an agricultural community in the southeast corner of Lower Saxony, Germany with approx. 17,800 citizens and 17 incorporated town districts. The investigation of the role of visualization in the communication with citizens during the landscape planning process was central to the project. A wide variety of visualizati on methods were used to support citizen participation in town meetings and on the Internet platform. In a field study in the district of Bornum, four different visualization methods (sketches, photomontage, VNS-renderings and Lenne3D) were tested during a town meeting and citizens’ reactions to the visualizations were gathered. The objective of the field study was to identify characteristics of the visualization methods that citizens considered important for the understanding and discussion of the planning proposals. The field study and findings are described and recommendations for the use of visualization in the participation process are made.