Roads to Participatory Planning: Integrating Cognitive Mapping and GIS for Transport Prioritization in Rural Lesotho

Abstract

Transport infrastructure and services are critical elements to achieving poverty reduction, gender equality, and sustainable development, but methods to systematically characterize and address differences in local mobility and access are lagging. Participatory mapping offers an approach to engage communities in transport planning and bridge this gap. This paper presents a series of maps based on an integrated pilot application of geographical information systems (GIS) and participatory sketch mapping to elicit and evaluate differential mobility and access patterns of villagers in the highlands of rural Lesotho. Fieldwork was carried out in the Senqu and Senqunyane Valleys in southern Lesotho, among the most isolated areas in the country, to link local-level information and perspectives on transport and other services to the enhanced GIS at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. The resulting cognitive maps and focus group interviews reveal significant gender differences in mobility and access with implications for healthcare, education, and transport planning. They also provide a basis for cross-sectoral participatory decision making through the integrated GIS.