The article of Arjen Koekoek, Ron van Lammeren and Guido Vonk: The Potential of Integrating E-participation in Planning Support Systems is published in URISA (Journal of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association), Volume 21, No. 2, 2009.
Abstract
The increasing complexity of spatial planning issues and pressure from citizens to take part in deciding on spatial plans result in a need for improved methods to aid communication between governmental actors and citizens. These developments put high demands on planning support systems (PSS), instruments that can aid planners in performing their planning tasks. By using the accessibility of the Internet, e-participation seems an attractive shoot of PSS. This integration could facilitate citizen involvement in planning. Although many advantages are attributed to participatory PSS, its use in the planning practice remains marginal until now. According to this paper, this is partly caused by the lack of empirical studies that demonstrate potential benefits and obstacles when applying participatory PSS. To help alleviate this problem, this paper synthesizes three case studies of Dutch municipalities that each implemented some type of e-participation to achieve particular goals. It demonstrates that although e-participation has potential as a PSS, a limited impact on decision making and a feedback provision currently constitute obstacles for effective participation.