Participatory Modelling for Resilient Futures

1. Introduction - Integrative approaches for better land and resources planning

2. Strategies and techniques – a living, changing process

 Choosing the right approach

Introduction to the chapter, the cyclical nature of the participatory process, explanation of the four groups of techniques presented.

 Appraisal, dialogue and observation techniques

Description of techniques:

Collaborative intelligence techniques (brainstorming, snowballing), interviews and surveys, stakeholder mapping, key informants, socio-ecological transects, life stories, discussion groups, triangulation groups etc.

 Research and analysis techniques

Description of techniques:

Geographical analysis, SWOT analysis, sociograms, timelines, tendency lines, discourse analysis, problems/objectives tree, flow diagrams, knowledge co-generation, social learning etc.

 Action techniques

Description of techniques:

Multi-criteria decision models, participatory cartography, trade-offs analysis, participatory scenario planning, multimedia visualisation, participatory indicator development, participatory action plans, consolidation of motor groups, taking off.

 Evaluation techniques

Description of techniques:

The ladder of participation, the dartboard technique, refutation.

This chapter presents a series of case studies in which the techniques presented above are applied to the real cases. The chapter is divided into 3 blocks in which broadly similar approaches are grouped together

 Time as a lens

Introduction to the chapter and explanation of the case studies

 Case studies 1: dialogue with the past, understanding the present, looking to the future

In order to work together to secure our common future it's important that we understand and value what we already have. If we think that what we have has no value, we won't miss it until it's gone.

This block presents case studies related to understanding and valuing common resources as a precursor to deeper analysis and action, as follows:

- Valuing public works in rural areas (VAPROP) in Estremadura, Rioja and Cantabria.

- Participatory strategies for transhumance (Cantabria and Madrid region)

- Cattle droveways – dialogue with the past, pathways to history (Madrid region)

- Raising public awareness of common resources: the Jarama riverbank, Madrid region.

- Pastures and cattle in Cantabria in the 21st century.

 Case studies 2: Between city and country

Application of a one-size fits all economic model to the territory creates false dichotomies between urban and rural leading to rural depopulation, urban sprawl, unequal distribution of resources and unsustainable modes of subsistence. Communities must bridge this imaginary divide and take control of their means of subsistence.

The places we inhabit and the exchanges of knowledge, goods and services between them are crucial to the way we live. Despite the "flattening" effect of globalisation, no two places are the same. In contrary to the logic of the free market, the territory is not an empty space waiting to be occupied by whatever use offers the maximum monetary return in a given moment, but a rich store of natural capital, human history and culture. The continued imposition of this global paradigm of "land as a consumer product" threatens to destroy the spaces in which we live. Central to this destructive idea is the treatment of urban and rural areas as exclusive opposites. All too often rural development is simply urbanisation by another name. Likewise the total dedication of the city to consumption, and the exclusion of spaces dedicated to production is something we have begun to regard as normal. This block presents cases aimed at bridging the urban-rural divide and improving the relationship of society to the environment, principally centred around the search for more sustainable and self-sufficient subsistence networks and a healthier relationship between urban and rural areas.

- How agrarian spaces can be properly integrated in urban planning (project PAEC-SP 2012-14)

- Farmer's perceptions of the environmental impact of agrarian activities (project IMIDRA 2013)

- Supporting communities through sustainable agrarian initiatives (city council of Azuqueca, platform Ciempozuelos river bank, Zarzalejo CSA)

- COST action urban agriculture in Europe.

- When the city grows up – workshops of reflection on Madrid's territorial model.

 Case studies 3: Conflicts, citizens and decision-makers

To secure truly long-lasting solutions to territorial problems, it is important to work at the right scale. Entrenched conflicts can be solved through integrative approaches in which the citizen becomes the decision maker.

The experiences developed in the previous two blocks show how citizens and policy makers can come together to develop initiatives that restore value and pride to communities and challenge established paradigms. However, in many cases, there are real and lasting conflicts between stakeholders over how to manage the same resources or territory. In these cases, more elaborate approaches may be required.

This block presents examples of integrative research bridging science, policy and civil society. As in case studies block 1, the case studies presented in this block apply some of the techniques detailed in chapter 2, but in a more developed and extended way. The aim is to show how substantial analytical research activities can be successfully integrated with in-depth participatory processes. Three case studies are presented integrating modelling, participatory scenario planning and policy support actions:

- Time-geographical approaches to emergence and sustainable societies (TiGrESS)

- Modelling land use dynamics in the Spanish network of national parks and their hinterland (DUSPANAC)

- COMPLEX – pathways to a low-carbon economy (APoLUS model, Navarre)

 Back to the beginning

 Lessons learnt

 Where do we go from here?