The geographic turn in social media: Opportunities for spatial planning and Geodesign

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of Social Media Geographic Information (SMGI) as an emergent pluralist source of information which - it is argued- may find valuable application in spatial planning and Geodesign. On the base of empirical research, the author proposes a tentative framework for SMGI Analytics in spatial planning. Among other methods, Spatial-Temporal Textual Analysis (STTx) is proposed as a tool to investigate people perceptions and interest in space and time. Possible implications and benefits of SMGI analytics for the planning practice emerge from the overall discussion. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.