Citizens are increasingly becoming an important source of geographic information, sometimes entering domains that had until recently been the exclusive realm of authoritative agencies. This activity ...has a very diverse character as it can, amongst other things, be active or passive, involve spatial or aspatial data and the data provided can be variable in terms of key attributes such as format, description and quality. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there are a variety of terms used to describe data arising from citizens. In this article, the expressions used to describe citizen sensing of geographic information are reviewed and their use over time explored, prior to categorizing them and highlighting key issues in the current state of the subject. The latter involved a review of ~100 Internet sites with particular focus on their thematic topic, the nature of the data and issues such as incentives for contributors. This review suggests that most sites involve active rather than passive contribution, with citizens typically motivated by the desire to aid a worthy cause, often receiving little training. As such, this article provides a snapshot of the role of citizens in crowdsourcing geographic information and a guide to the current status of this rapidly emerging and evolving subject.
This paper explores collaborative mapping as an approach to enhance public engagement in spatial planning. It provides insights into the current state of the art in collaborative mapping for ...practitioners and policymakers aiming to utilize its potential for better spatial planning. Through a systematic analysis of relevant literature, it investigates the evolution, application, and challenges of collaborative mapping. A comprehensive search of relevant sources on Google Scholar reveals the growing interest in collaborative mapping, particularly since 2018, with a focus on topics like land use and accessibility. The review underscores the importance of democratizing spatial data collection and highlights the role of user-generated content in participatory approaches. Public participation in collaborative mapping is examined, emphasizing the inclusion of diverse stakeholders and the need for tailored approaches to accommodate varied motivations for engagement. Advantages such as cost reduction and data provision are balanced against challenges like data quality, semantic issues and accessibility barriers. Key dimensions of collaborative mapping, including cost reduction, data accuracy, semantic issues and stakeholder importance, are addressed in more detail.
The culture of occupying urban space through temporary use or squatting is present in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, particularly since the 1990s. These occupations are a means for the ...residents to satisfy by themselves their demands and needs, ignored by the traditional institutions. They provide services for the residents of Ljubljana, and they add value to the city. However, they suffer from a lack of legitimacy because of their normative position. Their values and existence are typically subject to ongoing struggles. This article tends to emphasise that these alternative occupations of space, in their diversity, stand where the traditional institutions are missing.
This paper discusses how the structure of urban public open space is created and interpreted in the mental image of its users in the case of Ljubljana, Slovenia. It reveals how spatially continuous ...urban open space is physically interconnected into the overall spatial structure of the city and how it is defined by a variety of the built form components. The question is how such space is present in the mental image of users and whether and how such space is structured into sub-units by its users. The paper aims to establish what its dimensions are, how it is divided into separate units at a mental level, and what the perceived hierarchical relations between such units are, in terms of spatial, functional and intangible characteristics of space that conditions this perception. It is argued that both the overall spatial structure of the city and its constituent components play an important role in how users conceptualize urban open public space.
Determining precise boundaries between different territorial units is challenging due to various factors. Slovenia serves as example of country where defining boundaries of spatial units is full of ...challenges due to country’s diversity in various aspects. In architectural profession, it is possible to determine boundaries of architectural landscapes based on differences in placement of objects and their design. The work requires significant amount of data on buildings, which need to be processed and sensibly organized. In 1990s, Fister and colleagues delineated architectural landscapes and regions of Slovenia. However, even then, authors warned about the problem of changing building characteristics that define specific architectural landscapes or regions, and instability or possible alteration of boundaries between them. Some other disciplines also deal with similar problems where boundary-defining characteristics change. Several decades have passed since Slovenia’s first consideration of its architectural regions and landscapes, marked by devaluation of architectural identity and emergence of new building forms and purposes. As part of Targeted research project Architectural typologies and architectural landscapes and regions of Slovenia, we aimed to assess current situation in this field using various tools and the Method for Determining Architecturally Conditioned Spatial Identity (MAPPI). The detailed analysis of settlement of Prebold revealed significant impact of construction of new buildings in recent decades and the devaluation of architectural identity. This case has raised new questions, such as regulation of architectural appearance in characteristic areas, while also demonstrating the practical value of the MAPPI method for determining boundaries between architectural regions and landscapes.
Rising the quality of life through improving existing living environments remains one of the critical tasks of contemporary urban design. The quality of life is, in part, a subjective matter and ...shall thus be approached not only through professional measures but must also include participatory inputs. The techniques for including the residents’ points of view are various and greatly depend on the broader context of each case. However, using new ICT and other digitally supported tools is an ongoing trend and can be traced in various places and stages of the process. This article addresses the issue of the participatory reading of characteristics in existing living environments as they are assessed through residents’ eyes. It reviews and analyses two case studies, a Slovenian and a Spanish one, that used the photovoice approach with photography and related supplementary materials to get to know residents’ perceptions towards cultural and natural values that enhance their quality of life. The cases illustrate two different contexts, the urban and the rural one. In both cases, the processes were supported by a digital approach to achieve broader participation in the process, to offer residents an additional channel of expression, to analyse the input data, to disseminate the results, and to encourage a wider community and stakeholder dialogue. The case studies reflect the added value of using digital support in terms of the level of the integration of residents’ voices into the placemaking process. It concludes that the photovoice supported by digital tools can importantly enhance community-oriented urban planning processes.
Public participation in the urban transformation of capital cities is an important factor to consider when assessing the quality of democracy in post-communist countries. This study examines ...participatory processes in two capital cities, Zagreb (Croatia) and Ljubljana (Slovenia). The cases studied are summarized, and similarities and differences are pointed out using the comparative method (Tabor Park and the BS 7 neighbourhood in Ljubljana, and the Meštrović Pavilion and Savica Park in Zagreb). Findings from 2018 and 2019 showed a rather low level of public participation in Zagreb. In Ljubljana, the level of public participation was higher and the legal basis for it stronger, although there was a certain amount of dependence on political and economic factors. In both cities, public participation in its most direct form was present at the level of NGO and civil initiative activities. Residents’ communication with the city administration was poor and did not facilitate the participation process.
Ljubljana was the first post-socialist city awarded with the title European Green Capital. The title awarded by the European Commission is given to a city that is achieving high environmental ...standards, is setting ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development, and can act as a role model to inspire other cities and promote best practices to all other European cities. The article is based on a hypothesis that at the moment when Ljubljana applied for (and was awarded) the European Green Capital title, it had strong strategic spatial planning and successful territorial governance, as well as the interweaving of both. To prove the hypothesis, the timetable and characteristics of the strategic spatial planning and territorial governance in Ljubljana are presented in this article and critically evaluated. Critical evaluation and analyses are also assessed using a qualitative research method, i.e., semi-structured in-depth interviews among experts from four professional fields including spatial planning, urbanism, architecture, and management. The results confirmed the hypothesis: Ljubljana’s sustainability-oriented strategic spatial plan prepared by a variety of stakeholders, experts, and citizens, as well as the effective governance system established by the mayor, a manager by profession, were two factors that coincided at a crucial moment. This was recognized by the European Commission and Ljubljana was awarded a prestigious title. Ljubljana can therefore serve as an excellent sustainable example for other post-socialist cities in terms of strategic spatial planning and governance.
Sodelovanje javnosti pri urbanistični preobrazbi glavnega mesta je pomemben dejavnik, ki ga je treba upoštevati pri presoji kakovosti demokracije v postsocialističnih državah. V članku avtorji ...obravnavajo procese sodelovanja javnosti pri taki preobrazbi v dveh postsocialističnih glavnih mestih: v Zagrebu in Ljubljani. Predstavljeni so izsledki izbranih študij primerov v obeh mestih (park Tabor in soseska BS 7 v Ljubljani ter Meštrovićev paviljon in park Savica v Zagrebu), poleg tega so izpostavljene podobnosti in razlike, ugotovljene na podlagi njihove primerjave. Izsledki raziskave iz let 2018 in 2019 kažejo dokaj nizko stopnjo sodelovanja javnosti v Zagrebu. V Ljubljani je bila navedena stopnja višja in tudi pravna podlaga zanjo je bila močnejša, opazna pa je bila delna odvisnost od političnih in gospodarskih dejavnikov. V obeh mestih je bilo sodelovanje javnosti v najbolj neposredni obliki pri aktivnostih nevladnih organizacij in civilnih pobud. Komunikacija med prebivalci in mestno upravo je bila slaba, kar ni spodbudno vplivalo na sodelovanje.
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