Charrettes

I found this very interesting book in the library, it is "Designing Community" by David Walters.


The book focuses on many elements of urban planning in the US and UK. The main focus of the are Charrettes, Masterplans and Form-based Codes.

What is Charrettes ?

The word charrette may refer to any collaborative session in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem. While the structure of a charrette varies, depending on the design problem and the individuals in the group, charrettes often take place in multiple sessions in which the group divides into sub-groups.

Each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for future dialogue. Such charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution while integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people. Compare this term with workshop. - wikipedia

I am still in the progress of reading this book, once I had done reading it, I will update everyone. Anyone interested to borrow this book can msg me k !

Research Proposal regarding topic of "Public Participation"

As this is a blog that I had created as part of my studio assignment, therefore i will post some part of my studio work for comments and recommendations.

One of the assignments that were given to us is to produce and research proposal based on the core topic of our blog. This is some of the progress of my research proposal, although this research proposal is something like a dummy testing for us to learn the process of producing an proper research procedures. please feel free to give comment so that i can take into consideration.

The topic of my research is as follow,

Does incorporating ICT increase level of public participation for Neighborhood planning in Selangor, Malaysia?

Issues and Problems

There are few minor drawbacks from Public Participation Planning in Malaysia.

• Difficult to get people interested in planning and plans, due to difficulties in understanding, personal timidity and lack of time.

• Government planning authority didn’t emphasize much on the involvement of public during the initial planning stage and environmental impact assessment, EIA.

• Lack and in-proper follow up after the initial meeting between planners and the locals.

• Duration for the public participation planning process will take longer considering the action and reaction time from various involving parties and thus resulting in the lack of practicing it.

• Hidden agenda behind the apparent environmental argument might be solely economic, protecting only private objectives of the minority rather the entire community.

• Fears of potential negative effects of urban planning will often trigger responses/appeals to plans. This reactive way of responding is not a constructive mode of participation.

Potential of ICT in Public Participation Planning

• Information, communication and co-operation are the basics of effective and transparent public participation.

• Strengthened by demands of the Malaysia government to enhance e-government.

• Using GIS and CAD data to generate 3D-urban-models, will utilize already existing planning data in a new way. 3D-visualistion of existing and planned structures will help non-professionals to better understand planning contents and the consequences caused by planning alternatives (improve information level of users, and due to plans currently submitted in digital format, it will be much easier & faster to distribute the plans online).

• Using the internet enables the public to participate independently of time and space.

Research Objective

The objective of this research is to find out whether incorporating ICT will increase the level of public participation in the context of neighborhood planning within the Selangor State. Which in terms answers many important questions?

• The level of public participation for neighborhood planning with the incorporation of ICT.

• The feasibility of ICT to fully be incorporated into Public Participation for neighborhood planning.

Scope of Research

Location: selecting neighborhoods within Selangor State that has a minimum 70% from the total housing units with online availability and also with an established neighborhood forum.

Duration: Depending on the type of planning projects to be involved.

Study Subjects: All residents within the neighborhood with the minimum age of 17 and above, that had registered to participate in the planning process through registering in the forum.

What is the role of public participation in developing transportation policies, programs, and projects?

Public participation is vital to provide a good and comprehensive transportation planning. Without significant public participation, there is a risk of making poor decisions, or decisions that have unintended negative consequences that only burden the public rather than benefiting them.

With public participation, it is possible to make a lasting contribution to an area's quality of life. Public participation is more than an agency requirement and more than a means of fulfilling a statutory obligation. Meaningful public participation is core and essential to good decision-making.

The fundamental objective of public involvement programs is to ensure that the concerns and issues of everyone with a stake in transportation decisions are identified and addressed in the development of the policies, programs, and projects being proposed in their communities.

Who is the public?

The public that I am talking about are those who reside, has an interest in, or does business in a given area which will potentially affected by transportation decisions. All this includes both individuals and organized groups (NGOs, community neighborhood group and etc…). It is also vital to provide opportunities for the participation of all private and public providers of transportation services. Finally, those who traditionally were underserved by existing transportation systems, such as low-income or minority households and the elderly, should be encouraged to participate in the transportation decision making process.

Federal, state, and local authorities with an interest in transportation issues play a particularly important role in the development of transportation projects. Many of those government agencies have a statutory responsibility to review environmental documents or issue permits for transportation projects.

What are the indicators of an effective public participation process?

A well-informed public can contribute meaningful input to transportation decisions through a wide array of involvement opportunities at all stages of decision making. Useful elements in planning for effective public involvement are:

• Clearly defined purpose and objectives for initiating a public discussion on transportation issues;

• Specific identification of the involved public and other stakeholder groups with respect to the plans and programs under development;

• Identification of techniques (ICT) for engaging the public in the process;

• Notification procedures or communication that effectively target between the traffic planners and affected groups;

• Methods and measures for evaluating the effectiveness of the public involvement program;

• Education and assistance techniques, which result in an accurate and full public understanding of transportation issues; and

• Solicitation of feedback from the public and stakeholders on the effectiveness of the public involvement process.