A study of spatial planning using participatory GIS in the Maltese context

Abstract

Spatial planning engages with the many controversies that characterise a dynamic built environment. Its practice in a highly dense archipelago such as the Maltese Islands often brings issues of stakeholder representation and good governance to the fore. The social milieu within which spatial planning takes place is therefore of relevance, especially in the light of the influence of characteristics related to highly networked communities. Commencing with an assessment of the role of the spatial planner over time and the challenges the profession faces today, the implications of value-based planning and the characteristics of dialogue are considered. This is placed in the context of Malta as a relatively young nation and an even more recent member of the European Union. Of notice is the role of interest groups, stakeholders and community groups in statutory processes of representation, with a focus on the power relations affecting all participants, whether practicing planners or stakeholders. In this regard, the potential impact of Participatory GIS as a decisionsupport- system is assessed. GIS being already integrated into spatial planning in Malta, it is its value as a tool for fostering dialogue between participants that is of primary interest. These matters were further analysed through an ethnographic process of engagement in participant observation, in-depth interviews and a tri-partite Participatory GIS initiative. The ensuing observations resulted in positive correlations between the use of participatory mapping technologies and the extent to which stakeholders are proactive, as opposed to simply reactive; and thus, on the potential for dialogue in the statutory representation process. Despite this, socio-political factors cannot be ignored, and the dissertation concludes with a call for improved representation towards balancing values, context, legitimacy and efficacy in spatial planning in Malta.