Mapping Hyde Park futures with effective public participation

Mapping Hyde Park futures with effective public participation is both possible and desirable. This paper will argue the case for making the best use of creative futures thinking, mapping technologies, global media and effective public participation. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the planning system and Hyde Park will be discussed. The future of Hyde Park is protected by a very comprehensive Plan of Management and Masterplan. While local government has no constitutional status in Australia, the City of Sydney is an exceptionally strong local government organisation with a record of innovation and leadership. However, it is relatively weak compared to the state and Commonwealth governments and to large corporations. The main focus of geographic information systems (GIS) development in NSW has been on efficient administration but there is an opportunity to now apply GIS to the effective and inclusive planning of public spaces such as Hyde Park which occupies a central and symbolic location in the global city of Sydney. Many different interest groups would like to have a piece of Hyde Park and so effective and transparent planning is necessary to preserve its heritage and amenity while allowing it to meet the needs of its future users. Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) can be valuable tool for effective public engagement in this regard. This paper discusses state of PPGIS use for planning and its portrayal in media in NSW Australia.