Mapping the state of collaborative planning

Another follow-up from Friday’s New Technology for Participatory Planning workshop. Summary: let’s make some big charts that help us understand the processes we discussed, and identify good places for technology. Longer version follows…

A thread that ran through several conversations afterwards and maybe some sessions and lightning talks too: we need to get a better handle on the planning process, in order to see where technology can help. The follow-up list is packed with exciting projects and big new ideas. So, where and how and who…? Maybe it’s time for some big flow charts?

Friday brought a great diversity of viewpoints. Everyone is familiar with a different stage of planning, or has a different perspective. Combining these views through collaborative charts will help identify the great technology opportunities, the friction points, and show us where we don’t yet understand the process well enough to change it.

If that sounds too abstract, imagine describing the process of a public urban design workshop, with the stages drawn out. Someone who works on these sorts of projects can describe the sequence: Team chooses date. Visits site. Takes photos. Makes maps showing site. Prepares briefing booklet for workshop participants. Etc. Maybe the mapped-out version of this sequence makes it easier to see where technology can help, and where we’re dealing more with process, people or institutional issues.

Mapping out our collective understanding also shows where we need new voices - perhaps the process of designing parking only makes sense once a traffic engineer talks it through. Experts are needed make the mapping process accurate and useful, but charts with a lot of “??” are ok.  Maybe we start with some questions - can someone explain how municipal data are collected? Who decides where houses can be built? What does a planner do? Or maybe just see who is around the table and chart what we know.

And to consider this from a programming perspective: these flow charts are like overgrown use case models. Knowing that citizen X goes through these specific steps to do Y is a ready-made guide for a tool that smooths the process. These charts might not be linear - the needs of the still-unrealized land use change tool perhaps require some complex self-intersection looping formation.

Does a wikified online flow chart tool exist? Nothing I’ve found so far. But even with a wizzy flow chart maker, we still need to noodle in a group. Even just to find our feet and work out which charts are needed, perhaps we need to work with sticky notes and butcher paper and markers.  From there, the results should go online in a format that permits annotation and amendment - a great resource documenting the current state of collaborative planning. And a neat technology demo too.

What could be more participatory than making a big flow chart together?