Using Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) to Identify Valued Landscapes Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise

Abstract

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast has a long history of intense and varied development, from energy infrastructure and seaports to vacation homes and tourism. Coastal populations and development are growing. Concurrently, global climate change will influence sea level rise, resulting in increased flooding, storm surge, and coastal erosion. Regional planners must prepare for sea level rise and develop adaptive solutions to maximize resiliency. Comprehensive coastal vulnerability mapping assessments (CVMA) can integrate social, economic, and physical vulnerability with spatial analysis of natural hazards for local place-based investigations. Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) are a potentially important tool for the spatial collection of stakeholder knowledge for CVMA. The objective of this study was to assess the locations of a range of landscape values, ecosystem services, and development preferences held and identified by the general public using PPGIS to determine if those valued locations are vulnerable to sea level rise. We found that PPGIS can be used to map a wide variety of landscape values and that they can be used to assess vulnerability to sea level rise. We conclude with a discussion on how to integrate PPGIS into participatory CVMA for sea level rise planning.

Landscape Values in a Marina in Granada (Spain): Enhancing Landscape Management through Public Participation

“…These methods collect and analyze spatial data from places and values in the geographical distribution to provide decision support in planning processes [21]. PPGIS surveys ask users to identify and mark locations on a map and select values based on participants' experiential knowledge according to a typology given [22,28,30,[32][33][34]. However, other methodologies of determining landscape values ask about the values transmitted in pre-identified located points on a territory [26,31,[35][36][37].…”

“…The original typology of landscape values was developed by Brown and Reed [20], who established a set of 13 values (aesthetic, recreation, biodiversity, life-supporting, economic, learning, historical, cultural, future, intrinsic, spiritual, therapeutic, subsistence) as part of a forest planning process. This typology has been adapted and used for different applications, such as public lands [21], country management [22][23][24], urban areas [25][26][27][28], rural landscapes [29,30], and coastal landscapes [31,32]. However, there is not a one-to-one correspondence when dealing with places and values [26].…”

“…The stakeholder's opinion, as one of the main assets of the marina, should be taken into account when establishing strategies concerning the landscape and decision-making processes [40]. Moreover, stakeholder engagement brings benefits such as increased public support, facilitating collaborative planning, place-based knowledge, trust, and credibility in the collaborative process [32].…”

Behind the scenes of a crowdmapping tool design and implementation: Guidelines for participatory mapping practices in a multicultural environment

“…5-21 (Jones et al, 2020), sense of place (Perez--Ramirez et al, 2019), facilitating participation in urban design (Müller, 2021), environmental protection (Muñoz et al, 2020), and detecting land-use changes (Brown & Weber, 2012). Landscape and urban planning studies are also increasingly using PM approach to map landscape values (Kivinen et al, 2018;Morse et al, 2020, Stahl Olafsson et al, 2022, landscape usage (Lehto et al, 2022), planning green and neighbourhood infrastructures (Rall et al, 2019), and placemaking (Aditya, 2010;Cilliers & Timmermans, 2014).…”

An Exploratory PPGIS for the Nuclear Waste Repository Siting Procedure in Germany – a Transdisciplinary Approach to Enable Meaningful Participation?

“…Gottwald et al (2021) provide an example of how a PPGIS was used to improve the landscape design of a regional river landscape. Morse et al (2020) show how a PPGIS was carried out to assess vulnerability to rising sea levels. And even when it comes to spatializing local values, as is done in cultural heritage planning, a PPGIS can contribute significantly (Nummi, 2018).…”