Improving communication in urban planning using TOPIC-COHESIE

Decision making in spatial planning often takes place in a complex and illdefined context. It includes a large number of actors, factors and –often uncertain– relations. Each of the actors or stakeholders has his or her individual perceptions, values and priorities. This paper presents the TOPIC system, which aims to support this process by interactively collecting and managing the information in a participatory stakeholder process. We focus on a specific version of TOPIC – named COHESIE – which includes functionality for qualitative, participatory modelling. By representing actor perspectives in an explicit and transparent way, the modelling process facilitates the discussion and improves the communication between the different parties. This paper will illustrate the use of TOPIC-COHESIE with a practical example related to urban planning in the Netherlands. The participants of the case study have evaluated TOPIC_COHESIE a useful tool for early stakeholder involvement, and obtaining a more integrated plan.