Planning in the age of Facebook: the role of social networking in planning processes

Abstract

There has been rapid growth in the use of online social networking sites, such as Facebook. The public is increasingly using these sites for organizing around place-based issues. This research examines the extent to which the public and planners are using social networking sites to organize the public around place-based planning issues. Using content analysis of social networking sites, place-based planning groups are identified and analyzed. The administrators for the groups were contacted to determine their goals and satisfaction with their groups' work. Planning departments in the same communities were then contacted to determine the degree to which the social networking groups influenced the planning process. The results of this study found that the public primarily organizes to oppose development projects. While on average these groups attract hundreds of people, planners and group administrators report that there is minimal influence on the planning process.

Citizen Participation, Open Innovation, and Crowdsourcing

“…Build a tangled bank. (Johnson 2010, 246) In recent years, planners, like nearly everyone else, have gravitated to the Internet and its wide and asynchronous reach as a means to engage an even broader group of stakeholders (Evans and Mathur 2005;Evans-Cowley 2010a, 2010bEvans-Cowley and Hollander 2010). Here, web-based participation is seen not so much as a replacement for traditional approaches to involvement, but as a complement.…”

“…Mandarano et al (2010) have provided an extensive review of the literature available on the use of these technologies for building social capital and similarly conclude that the literature raises more questions than it answers. As noted above, Evans-Cowley (2010a, 2010b and Evans-Cowley and Hollander (2010) have written about the incorporation of these technologies in citizen involvement activities, finding that online technologies are good for meeting some but not all objectives for participation, and that the actual impact of new technologies, particularly mobile technologies on individuals, communities, and cities is still unfolding. Evans-Cowley (2011, 3), writing about the use of crowdsourcing for redesigning the planning curriculum in her university, notes that: City and regional planning is a perfect discipline for crowdsourcing because planners are constantly identifying problems and working to find solutions.…”

From Big to Little Data for Natural Disaster Recovery: How Online and On-the-Ground Activities are Connected?

“…Understanding the role of these online volunteers is valuable for local governments and disaster recovery organizations. Considering that group members in place-based online networks (e.g., online neighborhood forums) create face-to-face and on-the-ground interactions with other network members ( boyd & Ellison 2007;Evans-Cowley 2010;Foth 2006;Tayebi 2013), disaster management organizations should understand who is behind online volunteer activities and if and how these activities are connected to on-theground recovery efforts. This understanding can help organizations incorporate citizen-led and volunteer efforts into their disaster recovery process.…”

Planning with Citizens: Implementation of an e-Planning Platform and Analysis of Research Needs

“…Likewise these communication tools have the potential to shape (urban) planning now and in the near future. In particular the requirement for public participation in planning processes could benefit from the engagement of people via social networks (Donders, Hartmann, & Kokx, 2014;J. S. Evans-Cowley, 2010;Mandarano, Meenar, & Steins, 2010;Staffans, Rantanen, & Nummi, 2010).…”

“…However, only a small proportion of agencies and planning departments have explored possibilities that open up when using social networks for participation in planning activities (J. Evans-Cowley & Hollander, 2010;J. S. Evans-Cowley, 2010;Riggs, Chavan, & Steins, 2015).…”