Broadly Engaging in the Subjective: the planning and management of landscapes

Tranquil' experiences are commonly associated with environmentally rich areas such as National Parks and in the UK, in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). In these areas, natural heritage is juxtaposed with heirlooms of socio-cultural value in a rural landscape crafted by mankind over millennia, resulting in their designation as protected areas, based on their unique and ‘special’ qualities (DAONB 2014). Such characteristics epitomise the very heart of ‘heritage’ as defined by UNESCO and the European Landscape Convention (2004) through a proliferation of non-renewable resources of tangible and intangible qualities inclusive of biodiversity, folklore, of historical and archaeological values, all of which have contributed to enhancing the socio-cultural value of these areas. Subsequently, as found in the case of the Dorset AONB specifically, this heritage has inspired some of the greatest literary and art works including those of Constable and of Hardy which in turn, have contributed to enhancing a regional and local identity, encouraging locals’ strong sense of belonging and sense of place (Field 2008; Lyons 2006;DAONB 2014).\ud The economic importance derived from enhancing these qualities provides for their public interest as favourable resources to tourism: an aim easily facilitated through the capitalisation of what is perceived as ‘rural’ and of the quintessential idyll of English heritage, in which notions of tranquil experiences are anticipated, expected and where possible, created.\ud This popularity means that managing organisations must ensure that any form of development is sustainable and fundamentally, is sensitive to environmental, social and economic interests, whilst their statutory duty to provide ‘quiet’ enjoyment of the countryside is achieved. Key to addressing not only these objectives, but also enhancing the cultural and natural landscapes that define these IUCN Category V landscapes, is the definition of 'tranquillity'.\ud However defining and then interpreting tranquillity into practice is complex. It is an intangible concept, highly subjective, and is a sociocultural construct relative to the area in question. Thus unlike past attempts to define tranquillity purely by institutions’, therefore emphasising dominant political-management strategies, more recent recognition for the subjective nature of the concept demands that the fullest breadth of stakeholder engagement in defining tranquillity is warranted.\ud Support for such engagement could feasibly be assumed, given statutes assert the fullest breadth of stakeholder engagement in the formulation of development and landscape policy, in planning decisions and with best practice an active citizenship role is considered critical. Yet, should the fullest breadth of stakeholder engagement be progressed, the first challenge concerns a practical issue due to the sheer number of highly qualitative views on what is/not considered being tranquil is infinite.\ud A second challenge also focuses primarily on citizen engagement itself. Whilst statute endorses community engagement, reality is very different and where such opportunities are created for citizens to engage, a growing disengagement from local decision-making practices is increasingly evident in the UK. As such, three challenges are evident: 1) just how do you capture and 2) importantly use the breadth of subjective views on the subject of tranquillity whilst 3) tackle a fundamental challenge of encouraging the engagement of the so-called disengaged.\ud The Broadly Engaging with Tranquillity project (BETP) uniquely addresses each of these challenges. A highly democratic research framework is progressed and founded on principles of best practice in protected area governance. Therefore engagement with rather than consultation on the fullest breadth of views is fundamental, inclusive of those classed as the collective voice, individuals and those reported as the most challenging, the ‘hard to reach’ and of visitors to the area. In turn, claims of heritage management being neglectful of landscape, history and community experiences, perspectives and their recollections are rejected (Waterton 2005). Rather, claims of the public reclaiming their common heritage are emphasised.\ud Four stages of data collection progress the research: the key aim of which was to collate participants’ views on what did/not constitute tranquillity in the case study area. The first stage concerned a series of participatory action research events, facilitated by the University of Winchester, at which representatives of institutions, of community and special interest groups conveyed their personal ideas on what comprised tranquillity. The second stage constituted a random household survey based on a stratified sampling framework of the case study area. A 22% response rate was achieved of which more than 50% of the respondents constituted the ‘hard to reach’. The third research stage comprised a further round of participatory action research events solely convening local residents. The fourth and final data collection stage comprised a series of onsite surveys with visitors to the case study area.\ud More than 14,000 qualitative views were collated, and following analysis and their conversion into a simple, replicable mathematical sum, their combined views were progressed through a Geographical Information System. This finally produced models of tranquillity according to institutions, local residents, inclusive of the ‘disengaged’ and ‘engaged’ members of the local community, and finally according to visitors views.\ud Results of this research project are being used in the short-term to inform the protected area agency’s activities in implementing their statutory duties to enhance and maintain tranquillity in the Dorset AONB and in so doing in implementing their Management Plan. In the long-term discussions are taking place how to use the results in encouraging local authorities to implement their duties related to the National Planning Policy Framework and its encouragement for creating tranquil zones at the local level. The research team are actively seeking partners across the EU to test the framework in alternative locations.\ud The case area concerns the Dorset AONB, and integrates with the seascape of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The project results from a collaborative partnership comprised of practitioners and academics, with funding provided by the UK Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC)