Integrating sense of place into participatory landscape planning: merging mapping surveys and geodesign workshops

Abstract

This article explores the potential of integrating sense of place into participatory landscape planning processes. In an illustrative case study, spatial information on sense of place assessed through a participatory mapping survey from local citizens is integrated into a geodesign workshop at the Lahn river, Germany, with local stakeholders and planning administration representatives. Results show that sense of place information (1) has been considered interesting and relevant for the planning process by the majority of workshop participants, (2) revealed areas in the landscape that participants did not expect to be meaningful, and (3) spurred discussion on the potential meanings of the places and areas. We recommend planners to consider options for eliciting and integrating sense of place in future participatory landscape planning to reveal citizens’ unknown people-place relationships for the use in actual deliberation and negations.