The reliability of citizen science in plan formulation: evidence from Askar, the Kingdom of Bahrain

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: To what extent is residents’ perception of the state of their environment consistent with findings based on samples from the field? Are the locals aware of the drivers and pressures that led to the present state of the environment? Are they aware of the impacts? If so, are they able to recommend responses? Design/methodology/approach To examine the extent to depend on citizens’ opinion in decision-making, the researcher juxtaposed results from data gathered and analysed from the field assessing the quality of the marine environment, coastal zone and levels of both noise and air pollution. The researcher collected datum from focus group meetings, questionnaire and review of newspapers and magazines. The researcher used Qualitative Data Analysis QDA software to analyse qualitative data. Findings The results of the survey and the focus group meetings indicated that the citizens’ perceptions are, to some extent, in line with the results that the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) team concluded from the field survey. Citizens do not feel the urgency of conserving water because the government has been meeting growing demand by increasing the supply of water. The participants identified drivers and pressures that led to the present state of the environment. They were not able to differentiate between the state of the environment and the impacts of environmental degradation. Originality/value Citizens’ opinion is a valuable tool as an input at the various stages of plan formulation. Citizens’ views can bring an issue to experts’ attention and shed light on the qualitative aspect, such as meaning or value, that the quantitative data fail to reveal. However, the planning process must not depend entirely on citizen’s views. Experts must combine citizens’ opinions with scientific facts that result from in situ monitoring and laboratory analysis.

An overview of solid waste management and privatization in kingdom of Bahrain

“…Investment, environmental protection, and procurement expenses may be spread over numerous contracts and sites, allowing private enterprises to take advantage of economies of scale (El-Kholei et al, 2020). General liability and environmental compliance are normally the responsibility of the commercial partner in a government contract.…”

Polyphonic narratives for built environment research

“…Their work demonstrates that Jordanian people became more open to social life within the public realm while preferring more privacy for their family life. In a different context, El-Kholei (2020) presents a critique of approaches to participatory planning by questioning the differences between residents’ perception of their environment and findings based on fieldwork including aspects relevant to residents’ awareness and their ability to make meaningful recommendations. Taking the context of Askar in Bahrain El-Kholei argues that residents’ opinions might be useful in addressing problems, but that cannot be directly used for decision-making.…”

Editorial

“…All authors of these issues are nonwestern. There were nine articles on urban issues (Wiedman and Wang, 2020; Zohou et al , 2020; El-Kholei, 2020a; İnce et al , 2020; Ferah, 2020; El-Kholei, 2020b; Ammar et al , 2020; Lingyan and Ming, 2020); two articles on academic research in architecture (Salama and Hurol, 2020; Hurol, 2020), three articles on memory/place/tectonic affects (Tang et al , 2020; Ghelichkhani, 2020; Aksel and Imamoglu, 2020), two articles on the issues of plurality and polyphonic approaches (Salama and Hurol, 2020; El-Ashmouni and Salama, 2020); one article on decolonialism and cosmopolitanism (El-Ashmouni and Salama, 2020); one article on parametric design (Tünger and Taşlı Pektaş, 2020); two articles on photovoltaic facilities (Krstic-Furundzic et al , 2020; Ibrahim, 2020); one article on transformation and social change (Al-Betawi et al , 2020); two articles on sustainability and cittaslow (İnce et al , 2020; Babatunde, 2020); two articles on architectural education (Rauf, 2020; Pasha, 2020); one article on conservation of built-heritage (Thirumaran et al , 2020); one article on traditional villages (Huang and Yuanyuan, 2020); one article on post-war reconstruction (Kudumovic, 2020) and one article on post-pandemic environment (Ghada and Gharib, 2020). Some articles combined double keywords.…”