The Role of Social Media in Green Infrastructure Planning: A Case Study of Neighborhood Participation in Park Siting

Abstract

This paper explores the role of social media in facilitating green infrastructure planning through supporting discourses among online participants. Building on the communicative rationality theory, it adopts interpretive discourse analysis to explore ways in which online participants of a neighborhood online forum in Eugene, Oregon were able to assess and clarify the validity of each other's claims while discussing the location of a new park. The results show that this forum did not create a collaborative process, but facilitated this process through its integration with other methods. It facilitated a valid dialogue among the group members and provided valuable information for planners regarding the interests of a selected community of citizens.

Keywords:

• climate-adaptive planning
• collaborative planning
• discourse
• green infrastructure
• social media
• neighborhood park

Notes on Contributors

Nader Afzalan is a lecturer in the environmental design program at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, and a PhD candidate in urban planning and design at the University of Colorado, Denver, USA. He is also the vice-chair of the American Planning Association–Technology Division.

Brian Muller is an associate professor in the environmental design program at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.

Notes

1 “Cn.” means “comment number n.”