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Format:
Print
Author:
Reiss, Alexandra Merring
Dept./Program:
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
Year:
2009
Degree:
M.S.
Abstract:
In the past several decades, the outward expansion of cities into sprawling suburbs has raised concern for both natural resource and city planners. The challenge of managing the complexities of this growth has resulted in a diversity of planning tools intended to improve the quality of decision-making. These tools include information technologies such as simulation models and geographic information systems, as well as processoriented approaches like multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). These tools are increasingly designed for use in a participatory context.
This research looks to utilize the planning support system UrbanSim, in combination with MCDA methodologies to explore a structural approach to participatory planning in Chittenden County, Vermont. Building on a scenario analysis framework, this research is intended to explore a process that could aid Chittenden County planners in assessing alternative approaches to addressing the complexity of growth occurring in the County. Through a series of four workshops this process sought to analyze policies that could best accommodate forecasted population change in the County, while critiquing the policy analysis process itself.
The framework explored through this research offers a means of structuring complex, controversial planning issues in a way that allows planners to engage in constructive dialogue. The results show that the benefits include social learning and network building across municipal boundaries and areas of expertise. The process explored here could provide an important framework for local-level planners to engage in focused dialogue over a region's future. A critique of the process suggests that initial intensive narrative scenario building could improve the input into more structured scenario modeling. Recommendations based on an examination of this research also include specific considerations for future applications of such a process in planning.