STEPS COLLOQUIUM
Date: 13 February 2019
Time: 12.30 - 14.00 hrs
Venue: Ravelijn, RA 1315
Speakers: Johannes Flacke
ABSTRACT:
No rest for the wicked – Interactive geo-information tools for engaging with stakeholders in wicked policy problems
Climate change and other environmental hazards and burdens such as air or noise pollution are major societal challenges nowadays. They can be conceptualized as wicked problems, which are characterized as complex, open-ended, and intractable, while both the nature of the problem and the preferred solution are strongly contested among stakeholders. State of the art geo-information tools are, among others, a potential contribution for addressing such wicked problems. The value of such geo-information tools ranges from problem solver to problem mediator or problem recognizer, depending on the type policy problem at hand.
We have developed interactive geo-information tools implemented on large-scale tangible user interfaces (map tables) that are meant to facilitate the collaboration of stakeholders during certain steps of a planning process. Using two case studies on environmental health and energy transition, I discuss in the talk how such interactive geo-Information tools can help engaging with citizens and other stakeholders in addressing wicked problem settings. I reflect on the options and opportunities of such new technologies for stakeholder collaboration and deliberate pitfalls and further research needs.