Park, Fish, Salt and Marshes: Participatory Mapping and Design in a Watery Uncommons

Abstract

The Franks Tract State Recreation Area (Franks Tract) is an example of a complex contemporary park mired in ecological and socio-political contestation of what it is and should be. Located in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, it is a central hub in California’s immense and contentious water infrastructure; an accidental shallow lake on subsided land due to unrepaired levee breaks; a novel ecosystem full of ‘invasive’ species; a world-class bass fishing area; and a water transportation corridor. Franks Tract is an example of an uncommons: a place where multiple realities (or ontologies) exist, negotiate and co-create one another. As a case study, this article focuses on a planning effort to simultaneously improve water quality, recreation and ecology in Franks Tract through a state-led project. The article examines the iterative application of participatory mapping and web-based public surveys within a broader, mixed method co-design process involving state agencies, local residents, regional stakeholders, consultant experts and publics. We focus on what was learned in this process by all involved, and what might be transferable in the methods. We conclude that reciprocal iterative change among stakeholders and designers was demonstrated across the surveys, based on shifts in stakeholder preferences as achieved through iterative revision of design concepts that better addressed a broad range of stakeholder values and concerns. Within this reconciliation, the uncommons was retained, rather than suppressed.

Participatory Mapping as a Didactic and Auxiliary Tool for Learning Community Integration, Technology Transference, and Natural Resource Management

“…It also allows geographical visualization of their community; homogenize the internal, spatial, and social vision, as well as the sites where they obtain their resources, and contribute to resolve possible conflicts through resources or territory [60]. This is consistent with other works in which participatory mapping aided to evaluate place values and thus identify potential conflicts [16,23]. In contrast, the collection of geospatial information with other tools such as the use of aerial photography or satellite images, without the participation of community members, excludes them in defining the characteristics of their territory and its important structural elements, identifying problems, or even deciding on sites not accessible to foreign people, for example, reserving for themselves their sacred sites.…”

“…In general terms, participatory mapping approaches are proven to be important in recovering traditional knowledge [19][20][21][22]. In this context, participatory mapping approaches help identify place values and thus identify attitudes towards land use and potential conflicts [16,23]. Moreover, participatory mapping was proven useful for the management and conservation of natural resources by improving the decision-making process [24][25][26] and exploring landscape values for conservation planning processes [27][28][29].…”

Towards Mobilizing Knowledge for Effective Decision-Making in Parks and Protected Areas

“…Milligan et al [39] examines efforts to improve the ecological and recreational quality of the Franks Tract State Recreation Area in California, USA based on iterative participatory mapping and web-based public surveys. The authors analyzed the complex process of negotiating multiple realities and perspectives through reciprocal iterative change, concluding that shifts in stakeholder preferences can occur through iterative revision of design concepts that address a broad range of stakeholder values and concerns.…”