Tuesday 25 February 2020

International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR), Volume 9, Issue 2, April - June 2020



International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR)

Volume 9, Issue 2,  April - June 2020
Published: Quarterly in Print and Electronically
ISSN: 2160-9918; EISSN: 2160-9926;
Published by IGI Global Publishing, Hershey, USA

Editor-in-Chief: Carlos Nunes Silva (University of Lisbon, Portugal)
 

Indexed by: Compendex (Elsevier Engineering Index), INSPEC, SCOPUS, Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
For a complete list of indexing and abstracting services that include this journal, please reference the bottom of this announcement.

Note: The International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR) has an Open Access option, which allows individuals and institutions unrestricted access to its published content. Unlike traditional subscription-based publishing models, open access content is available without having to purchase or subscribe to the journal in which the content is published. All IJEPR manuscripts are accepted based on a double-blind peer review editorial process.


EDITORIAL PREFACE
 

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN URBAN E-PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Carlos Nunes Silva (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal)


RESEARCH ARTICLES
 

ENGAGING THE CROWD: LESSONS FOR OUTREACH AND TOOL DESIGN FROM A CREATIVE ONLINE PARTICIPATORY STUDY
Johannes Mueller (ETH Zurich, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore), Shiho Asada (ETH Zurich, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore), Ludovica Tomarchio (ETH Zurich, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore) 
 
In this article, the challenges of realising e-participatory projects in urban planning are described. A participatory case study in Singapore serves as the basis for their presented conclusions. The researchers used a map-based e-participation tool to collect design proposals from participants for the planning site. The user feedback for the tool interface and the study campaign's website together with designer expertise on user interfaces (UI) was incorporated into the redesign of the website and interface of the participatory design tool. From there, some general guidelines for conducting engagement studies and for designing participatory design tool interfaces for non-expert users were formulated. One key finding is that the information presented to the non-expert user must be concise, and the UI must be adapted to the user's habits and focus the user's attention towards completing the study.


COMMUNICATION-ORIENTED AND PROCESS-SENSITIVE PLANNING SUPPORT
Aija Staffans (Aalto University, Finland), Maarit Kahila-Tani (Aalto University & Mapita Ltd., Finland), Stan Geertman (Utrecht University, The Netherlands), Pihla Sillanpää (Aalto University, Finland), Liisa Horelli (Aalto University, Finland)
 
The complexity of the planning context has raised criticism against public participation for being a rigid top-down endeavour which does not recognize the different communicative needs and necessary working modes in the engagement of broad publics and collaborative small groups. Consequently, the problem is how to improve public participation so that it becomes more sensitive to the variety of communicative activities and knowledge needs involved in the design of urban planning processes. The aim of the article is to present and discuss, on the basis of two small case studies in the Finnish context, a revised model for a process-sensitive planning support system (PSS), with examples of several digital tools. The authors argue that besides broad public participation, more collaboration is needed to converge the diverse knowledge of planning in two-way communication and co-working settings which enable the analysis and design of living environments.


TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLE CHANGE: HOW SPATIAL DECISION-SUPPORT TOOLS SUPPORT TRANSFORMATIVE URBAN REGENERATION
Rita De Jesus Dionisio (University of Canterbury, New Zealand), Mirjam Schindler (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand), Simon Kingham (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
 
This research focuses on the ability of spatial decision-support tools (SDST) to transform urban regeneration processes through collaborative planning between authorities and communities. This article presents what was learned from the implementation of two SDST within planning authorities in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The first tool, Envision, enables the identification of suitable areas for urban regeneration; the second, ESP, focuses on the environmental and socio-economic assessment of regeneration scenarios at the neighbourhood scale. We use empirical observations from the implementation of these SDST in diverse planning authorities, to analyse the influence of local specificities and appropriate collaboration models for the development and adoption of the tools for decision-making and community engagement. We provide recommendations for future development and implementation of SDST to reinforce collaborative planning and local governance within urban regeneration processes.


CAN WE ENABLE DIGITAL TRANSITION IN HEALTHCARE DELIVERY?: INSIGHTS FROM A SURVEY OF TELEMEDICINE SERVICES IN THE PIEDMONT REGION
Sylvie Occelli (IRES Piemonte, Italy), Bibiana Scelfo (Ires Piemonte, Italy) 

Implementing digital health transition is challenging. Whilst technology progresses rapidly, the appropriation of innovation in healthcare is slower and has to deal with the local context. This is the case with Piedmont, an Italian region where in the last decade a number of telemedicine projects have been launched. In order to assess their implementation a survey has been recently conducted by the regional Health Department. This work builds upon the results of this investigation. The conceptual approach underlying the survey is illustrated and the main findings of the investigation discussed. To examine the regional situation, a notion of telemedicine maturity model is used. By making it explicit the main dimensions entailed in developing an ehealth service, its application can facilitate the digital health transition in the region. A core argument is that to handle the complexity of ehealth projects a collaborative environment for exchanging health knowledge should be implemented.


BOOK REVIEW 

Participatory Design Theory: Using Technology and Social Media to Foster Civic Engagement
Carlos Nunes Silva (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal)