Using PLACE mapping to improve public participation in Tillamook County, Oregon riparian action planning

Graduation date: 2002In the fall and winter of 1999/2000, efforts by federal, state, and local\ud agencies to restore salmon habitat by protecting land adjacent to rivers and streams\ud drew intense responses citizens in the Pacific Northwest. Despite efforts to\ud "involve" citizens in the development of riparian protection policies, many did not\ud believe their knowledge or concerns were considered or addressed.\ud The PLACE (People Learning About Community and Environment)\ud mapping technique was developed and tested as a way to improve the quality of\ud citizen participation by improving their ability to help define the situation to be\ud addressed by policy. The PLACE mapping technique is guided by LINCS\ud (Learning-oriented, Interactive, Non-competitive, Collaborative, Systemic inquiry)\ud theory, which suggests that contentious situations will be improved by increasing\ud learning among community members. Participants in PLACE mapping sessions\ud explore and learn from the knowledge and experiences of community members to\ud appropriately identify the situation and criteria that need to be addressed by policy.\ud The PLACE mapping technique is shown to promote learning among\ud participants, but limitations are revealed in the format of project that restricts\ud learning to isolated groups by limiting interactions among diverse interests