Prospects for qualitative GIS at the intersection of youth development and participatory urban planning

In this paper I report on a participatory planning project undertaken in a community engaged in a ten-year revitalization effort. Working with several youth-serving organizations, a community planning project was conducted in which local youth collected qualitative data about their neighborhood through a variety of techniques (photography, drawings, narratives). The project took place against the backdrop of an emerging neighborhood indicators geographical information system (GIS) aimed at tracking the impact of the revitalization effort. Although techniques for collecting and using qualitative data have matured during several decades of use in the field of participatory planning and development, their effective incorporation into GIS remains elusive. Although few technical barriers remain, the absence of stakeholder participation and the lack of community capacity to implement a community-based GIS are important obstacles to a fully realized qualitative GIS. Drawing on the youth-development literature, I demonstrate in this case study the potential of qualitative GIS for engaging young people in participatory planning, while also highlighting the continuing challenge to its implementation.