Deliberations among Experts and Laity An approach to building planning information systems

  • 格式:pdf
  • 大小:2.36 MB
  • 文档页数:22

DeliberationsamongExpertsandLaityAnapproachtobuildingplanninginformationsystems∗†

NikhilKaza‡DepartmentofUrban&RegionalPlanning,UniversityofIllinoisatUrbanaChampaign

June17,2005

AbstractThecooperativeworkprocess,whichinvolvesdeliberationsbetweenexpertsandlaity,isrestrictedbyitsaccesstospatialandaspatialinformation.Thispaperaddressestheseconcernsastohowaplanninginformationsystemcanbefashionedtosupportsuchdelibera-tions.Inparticular,byidentifyingthekindsofquestionsthatcomeupindeliberationsaboutinstitutionalknowledge—relationshipswithinthecurrentstateoftheworld,permissions,in-tentionalchangestotheworld—tiedtolocations.Identifyingwhatactionsarepermitted,prohibited,orhavecontingenciesdependsonexpertinferencethatconsidersoverlappingreg-ulationsandintentionsofotherstrategicplayerslikegovernments,theirhierarchies(Federal,state,localetc.),developers,andinterestgroups,intheprocess.Thisknowledgeneces-saryinconductingmeaningfuldeliberationsisnotadequatelyaddressedinsystems,includ-ingparticipatoryGeographicInformationSystems.Thispaperfocussesonspecificseman-ticrelationships—complementarity,substitutability,alternativesandinterdependence—thatneedbeconsideredindesignofasystemthatsupportsdeliberationsaboutmakingplans,usingplansandenforcingregulations,amongdifferentgroupswithvariouslevelsofexpertise.Keywords:UrbanOntology,PlanningPraxis,InformationSystems,Deliberations

∗PreparedforpresentationatUCGISsummerassemblyJune2005,JacksonHole,WY.

†ThecommentsofLewHopkins,VarkkiPallathucherilandEktaBhardwajaregratefullyacknowledged.

‡nkaza@uiuc.edu,111TempleBuellHall,611TaftDrive,Champaign,IL61820,Phone:2173333890

11SupportingDeliberationParticipatoryGeographicInformationSystems(PGIS)havetodatefocussedonthewideningofaccessibilityofgeographicinformationbeyondtheexpertgroups(JankowskiandNyerges2001)andinvolvingdeepparticipationofcommunitygroupsintheproductionofthegeographicknowledge(Peluso1995).However,HarrisandWiener(forthcoming)notethatassocialandculturalcontextscannotbesufficientlyrepresentedinaGIS,designinganeffectivePGISbecomesproblematic.Thispapercontendsthattheproblemofsuchrepresentationistheproblemofontology,orvocabularyifyouwill,whichreliesonalltoorestrictiveasetofgeographicrelationshipsthataGISfocusseson.Thispaperidentifiesthekindsofrelationshipsaninformationsystemoughttofocuson,bydesigningthespecificontologiesrequiredforeachparticulardisciplineandbyleveragingtheresearchonGIS.

Deliberationsamongexperts,oramonglaity1andexperts2,abouturbandevelopmentprocessesareofteninwantofatleastfourkindsofknowledge:1)Whatisthecurrentstateoftheworldandwhatarethepossiblefuturestates?2)Whataretheregulatoryorincentiveorinstitutionaldevicesinplace,thatmakesomefuturestatesmorelikelythanothers?3)Whataretheintentionsofotherstrategicallyimportantplayersintheprocess?4)Whatarethepossibleresponsesavailable,giventheinstitutionalenvironment,tothoseintentions?Thesequestionsareaboutrights,regulations,intentionsandtheinterdependencerelationshipsamongthese.

Torepresentthisinformation,thisworkbuildsupontheontology3developedforrepresentingurbandevelopmentprocessesinHopkins,Kaza,andPallathucheril(forthcoming)andelaboratedforlanduseregulationsinKaza(2004).Plansareintentionalactionsdirectedtowardschange,andexplicitlyrecogniseofrelationships—agenda,design,policyandstrategy—amongactions(Hopkins2001).TheintellectualdevelopmentofGISoverthepastdecadehasprovidedusefulgroundingforrepresentingspatialandtemporalentitiesandchanges.Couclelis(1991)andWorboys(1994;forthcoming)identifiedkeyconceptsofsituationversussiteandtime,contingency,andexpectations,whichwillbecentralinrepresentingplans.Al-Taha(1992)describesaninformationsystemthatissuitedtochangingboundaries,whichisusefultodescribechangesinrightsaboutalocation.Westervelt(1996)describesmodellingofobjectsinmotionthusprovidingabasisforrepresentingintentionalactionsthatactivelyprecipitatechangestoadynamicsystem.

A“webofplans”anda“webofregulations”couldbeaprototypicalcasefordesignofaninformationsystemthatwillcapturetheessentialelementsofaplanninginformationsystemthatisrequiredfordeliberations,whilstnotpurportingtobecomplete.Asingleplan,norasinglesetofregulationsaboutaparticularissueisnotveryusefulbecausetherearecompetingintentionsofvariousactors†,overlappingissuesandhierarchiesofregulations.Laurini(2001,p158-160)describeshowdifferentregulationswhichareoverlappinginjurisdictional†scopenecessitatestheapplicationofdifferentrules.UsingalegacyplanningcasesforMcHenryCounty,Illinois,thispaperdescribesa“SystemofPlans”(SoP)approachtowardsplanning