Combining Digital and Traditional Visualisation Techniques in Community-Based Planning and Design

Public participation is a key component in environmental planning and design. Yet too often, architects and planners are not equipped with effective tools and visualisation techniques to generate meaningful public input. Architects and planners are increasingly turning to computer technology; computer imaging can be used to support exploration of alternatives by enabling community members to visualise opportunities and scenarios before committing to a course of action (McClure, 1997). This paper explains how a Geographic Information System (GIS) and an artist played critical roles in a participatory planning process in Chicago's Pilsen neighbourhood. The GIS provided community leaders, planners, architects and designers with an interactive visualisation of the neighbourhood context. It also provided examples of design prototypes in relation to their geographic context. The artist, on the other hand, translated neighbourhood residents' ideas into quick sketches, merging their ideas and thoughts into a shared neighbourhood vision. Both of these elements – the GIS and the human artist – provided a means for residents to visualise past, present, and future neighbourhood conditions, enabling them to have a greater voice in the design of their neighbourhood. Our findings suggest that effective visualisation may be achieved through combining traditional and computerised visualisation tools, and that effective visualisation could assist in bridging the gap between professional designers and non-designers.