Participation tools for better land-use planning

The relevant question is who and which interests lead land use planning and decisions. In this research, the participation in land use planning processes in sparsely populated Northern regions has been examined and participation possibilities have been developed with a mixed method approach.

Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used in the data collection and analysis. The approach of the research is empirical. The research is a case study and three different sets of data have been collected from Finnish Lapland, sparsely populated regions, from - The data is qualitative, quantitative and spatial, and was analyzed with the principles of theory driven content analysis and GIS analyzing methods theme maps.

The results show that the maintenance and development of the participation possibilities in land use planning are an important part of democratic society. It is essential to maintain discussion, debate, criticism and right of appeal. In the Northern regions with many land use interests, there is no one right way to involve people.

The participation is context sensitive; the involvement process and involvement groups need to be estimated in every situation, place and context. PPGIS has the possibility to improve interaction in sparsely populated regions.

The benefits of PPGIS appeared strongly for different data, for example, visually and presenting data on the map in the spatial mode, the possibility to virtually and remotely collect information from a big audience both locals and non-locals and the possibility to handle and combine a large amount of digitalized, spatial data. Increasing trust and transparency between different groups were remarkable issues as well.

Using Drones in Planning Practice provides planners with the knowledge they need to determine whether UAS can enhance their planning practice and, if so, to take the first steps toward UAS implementation. Drones offer tangible and intangible benefits for public- and private-sector planning organizations, expanding their capabilities for a wide range of activities that would be otherwise difficult, expensive, or impossible to carry out. This report offers the information planners need to integrate UAS into professional planning practice, including comprehensive discussions of technology and equipment, operational and administrative practices, and legal and regulatory considerations.

This report makes the case for how drones can help planners do their work more safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. As planners prepare to navigate the ever-increasing technological and societal changes of the 21st century, drones should be a tool in the planning toolbox that all practitioners know when and how to use. Extraordinary opportunities exist for integrating UAS with urban planning and design.

The array of UAS functions is expanding at an exponential rate, and the multifunctionality of drones makes them versatile, adaptable, and cost-effective tools. However, drone technology is currently unfamiliar to many planners and planning agencies, and the wide array of UAVs and the various sensors and equipment that are used to outfit them for different applications may seem intimidating. Likewise, the need to learn the federal regulatory requirements for drone use and understand the basic principles of safe and responsible UAS flight may seem overwhelming.

However, many practitioners have taken the plunge, and once they master the initial learning curve they have found drones to be invaluable additions to their planning and design practices. Its goal is to provide planners with the foundational knowledge they need to evaluate the use of drones in their planning and design work and the technical information required to integrate UAS into their professional planning practices.

It offers comprehensive discussions of relevant UAS topics, including technology and equipment, operational and administrative practices, and legal and regulatory considerations.

The report provides the information necessary for both the public- and private-sector planning communities to integrate drones into current practice. A drone is an aircraft without a pilot on board that is remotely controlled by a person on the ground. Drones have the potential to become indispensable urban planning and environmental management tools for many reasons.

Planners need high-quality, accurate, and timely data to analyze sites and make data-driven decisions. Drones offer the ability to collect a wider spectrum of environmental data than any other planning tool and document unique views through many types of imagery.

Land use and development are three-dimensional in nature, and aerial photos taken by drones allow the average person to visualize an area much more clearly than a map or a photograph taken at ground level.

Aerial videos add the fourth dimension — time — into the equation. And drone flights are relatively easy to plan and implement, allowing planners to schedule and perform data collection whenever it is needed.

A drone is a single tool that can be used to do many tasks. The same drone that creates a GIS map for a wildlife corridor might be used to evaluate the heat loss from a hospital rooftop or help in the search for and rescue of a lost child. Cameras, Lidar, and multispectral imaging sensors allow drones to collect many different types of data and serve many different functions. And they can do this very quickly: one drone pilot can document miles of roadway or acres of land in a matter of minutes that would otherwise take a full crew hours or even days, saving valuable personnel time and cost.

Drones offer safe alternatives to collecting data in remote and potentially dangerous situations, such as disaster-stricken areas, tall structures, and nuclear power plants, without exposing personnel to health and safety risks. UAS prices are continually decreasing with miniaturization and economies of scale. For the public sector, this is a relatively inexpensive equipment investment for a technology with so many applications. For the private sector, drones can often pay for themselves through contract service fees within a few operations.

Designing a UAS program as an innovative effort to modernize and expand services can enhance personnel satisfaction and augment public engagement. Training and operations costs are relatively low and provide ancillary benefits, such as staff professional development opportunities and a progressive organizational image.

In short, drones offer tangible and intangible benefits for publicand private-sector organizations, expanding their capabilities for a wide range of activities that would be otherwise difficult, expensive, or impossible to carry out.

We will produce an exciting, involved, and better educated community with happy, healthy and secure children and adults. Workshops are available through the NBN Institute. The LGC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization that provides inspiration, technical assistance, and networking to local elected officials and other dedicated community leaders who are working to create healthy, walkable, and resource-efficient communities. Search this site.

News Contact: nbnsector8 gmail.