Participatory Appraisal (PA) Community Visioning
Public meetings and other traditional consultation methods often don't meet client and community needs. Participatory Appraisal (PA) refers to a set of principles and tools that:
- Enable community members to think strategically about the future development of their area (as well as addressing immediate issues which will inevitably arise).
- Facilitate an enjoyable, engaging process that focuses on community issues, ensuring participants do not feel 'disempowered' by the consultation.
- Provide outputs that can be used to develop practical options and responses (eg, in relation to district planning, infrastructure/asset management and urban design).
PA is increasingly used in New Zealand and overseas to provide an insight into community preferences through an engaging process. The approach involves:
- Keeping things visual.
- Enabling participants to share their ideas in their own way.
- Providing an opportunity to prioritise and reach consensus about high-level outcomes.
Specific tools include:
- Township maps and background information.
- Small group work including community mapping, post-it notes and prioritisation counters.
- Semi-structured interviews on key issues arising.
- Management of expectations regarding how the information will be used.
Examples of Participatory Appraisal in action include the following (note these involved Paul Killerby, APR's Strategic Planning Manager):
Whangamata community planning (1999-2000):
Ngongotaha community planning project 2000:
Rotorua District Council 'computers in the community' workshop 2003 ('planning game' format):
An indicative fee for a three day training workshop is $4,000 + GST.
For further information on Participatory Appraisal, please visit: