Present & Future, Visualising ideas of water infrastructure design, Martine Poolman

VSSD: Science and Technology

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Present & Future

Visualising ideas of water infrastructure design

Martine Poolman

2010 / xix+237 pp. / paperback / thesis / ISBN 978-90-6562-258-7

In redevelopment and redesign of small water structures local water governing institutions are increasingly required to and requesting that the planning processes are set up in a participatory manner. Decision making processes that are set-up to be participatory require stakeholders with different backgrounds, ideas, experiences and expertise to come together. Ideally they work collectively towards finding a solution to a problem situation. Because of their differences stakeholders often have different ideas about the problem situation and about the ways to solve it. Discussions take place and ideas are expressed in words or text as each stakeholder tries to explain his view of the situation and possible solution. Horace, however, wrote that "the mind is more slowly stirred by the ear than by the eye." But visuals could provide a better understanding of a subject than words alone could. This thesis looks at enabling stakeholders to make and use two-dimensional, still (non-moving) visuals to help identify which differences and similarities there are in stakeholders? ideas of the problem situation and possible solutions.

The main objective of this research was to design a methodology which enables stakeholders to make and use visuals to communicate their ideas about redevelopment and maintenance of small water structures. In order to design the methodology the following questions were posed:

1. What do past implementations of existing participatory methodologies teach us about visually bringing out the perspectives of various stakeholders of a problem situation?

2. In what manner do visuals help communicate ideas that stakeholders have?
a. What information is to be portrayed in those visuals?
b. What communication pathways exist or can be created to support visual communication between stakeholders?
c. What supporting explanation (verbal or textual) may be needed to ensure that what the maker of the visual meant is communicated to the "reader" of the visual?
d. What "sense-making" activities occur during production and usage of the visuals?

3. What type of visuals are stakeholders able to make and use in discussions?

The answers to these questions contributed to giving shape to the resulting methodology called yourScape. Because of the discipline within which this PhD research was undertaken, the focus of this research builds on what Barnhurst, Vari and Rodríguez (2004) call the pragmatic approach towards understanding visuals in communication. The approach focuses on the ways in which the stakeholders make sense of their own and others' visuals, rather than focussing on finding the hidden cultural meaning that may be assigned to the visual by analysts. Additionally, the manner in which this research was carried out borrows aspects of both participatory and action research. From participatory approaches the idea was borrowed to take on a more facilitating role and to engage various stakeholders to participate as "co-researchers" in order to together define a way to bring about change.

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Updated: 8 December 2010, hlf@vssd.nl

VSSD: Science and Technology	order information b
Present & Future Visualising ideas of water infrastructure design Martine Poolman 2010 / xix+237 pp. / paperback / thesis / ISBN 978-90-6562-258-7
In redevelopment and redesign of small water structures local water governing institutions are increasingly required to and requesting that the planning processes are set up in a participatory manner. Decision making processes that are set-up to be participatory require stakeholders with different backgrounds, ideas, experiences and expertise to come together. Ideally they work collectively towards finding a solution to a problem situation. Because of their differences stakeholders often have different ideas about the problem situation and about the ways to solve it. Discussions take place and ideas are expressed in words or text as each stakeholder tries to explain his view of the situation and possible solution. Horace, however, wrote that "the mind is more slowly stirred by the ear than by the eye." But visuals could provide a better understanding of a subject than words alone could. This thesis looks at enabling stakeholders to make and use two-dimensional, still (non-moving) visuals to help identify which differences and similarities there are in stakeholders? ideas of the problem situation and possible solutions. The main objective of this research was to design a methodology which enables stakeholders to make and use visuals to communicate their ideas about redevelopment and maintenance of small water structures. In order to design the methodology the following questions were posed: 1. What do past implementations of existing participatory methodologies teach us about visually bringing out the perspectives of various stakeholders of a problem situation? 2. In what manner do visuals help communicate ideas that stakeholders have? a. What information is to be portrayed in those visuals? b. What communication pathways exist or can be created to support visual communication between stakeholders? c. What supporting explanation (verbal or textual) may be needed to ensure that what the maker of the visual meant is communicated to the "reader" of the visual? d. What "sense-making" activities occur during production and usage of the visuals? 3. What type of visuals are stakeholders able to make and use in discussions? The answers to these questions contributed to giving shape to the resulting methodology called yourScape. Because of the discipline within which this PhD research was undertaken, the focus of this research builds on what Barnhurst, Vari and Rodríguez (2004) call the pragmatic approach towards understanding visuals in communication. The approach focuses on the ways in which the stakeholders make sense of their own and others' visuals, rather than focussing on finding the hidden cultural meaning that may be assigned to the visual by analysts. Additionally, the manner in which this research was carried out borrows aspects of both participatory and action research. From participatory approaches the idea was borrowed to take on a more facilitating role and to engage various stakeholders to participate as "co-researchers" in order to together define a way to bring about change.	PDF files: repository TU Delft
a00
English language textbooks Homepage	Updated: 8 December 2010, hlf@vssd.nl