Using multimedia to encourage public participation in planning and design decision-making processes

The impetus towards public engagement in many spheres of the human existence has evolved over the years from the doldrums of the top-down approaches to current levels of excitement with collaborative planning. One of the fundamental principles of public participation in planning and design is to empower those whom the decisions may affect. It is through such participation mechanisms that the costs and benefits of development are proportionately taken care of. Acknowledging the virtues of public participation in planning and design is perhaps less of a challenge than putting in place the enabling environment and appropriate protocols for tapping the potential of diverse communities. How do we account for language barriers, different requirements, and interests and priorities to ensure that the voices of multiple stakeholders are incorporated into the decision-making processes? Such are neither new nor easy questions as decision-makers across the world have for a long time been grappling with the issues of inadequate participation. Traditional techniques have remained the key participation approaches despite their limitations. This appears like an irony, especially in the face of robust communication tools offered by Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Against the foregoing background, the paper explores the potential of multimedia techniques in encouraging public participation in planning and design decision-making processes. The common barriers and incentives to participation are identified. The paper concludes by establishing a strong case for the adoption of multimedia techniques in breaking the multiple barriers.