Discussing innovative buildings

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Challenge

Decision making in urban land use planning directly affects the quality of life and the economic viability of a city or region. This is especially true when it comes to large scale projects. Conflicts involving the cities administration, citizens and interest third parties flare up. There is a need to include all of these parties in an open discussion.

Solution

The DEMOS eParticipation framework and methodology, implemented in many different situations all over Europe, is used to organize the participation process. Combining structured, goal-oriented and moderated online discussions, with Web2.0 tools like Wikis, rating and recommendation systems and interactive WebMap services, it can be adapted to the various planning processes. E.g. The Living Bridge in Hamburg (a 700m, four story living bridge over the river Elbe) was discussed online.

Results

The participants discussed the pros and cons of the Living Bridge project in great depth. The results where complied and edited by the participants in 22 Wiki documents each dealing with a specific aspect of the discussion – as for example the design of the bridge or its impact on inner city traffic. At the end of the discussion the results included several alternative designs for the bridge alongside the presentation of the arguments in the Wikis. The results let to a reconsideration of the project among city officials and showed that participation of all stakeholders helps to improve planning processes and reduce potential conflict.

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