An Argument for Action Research-Inspired Participatory Mapping

After decades of both enthusiasm and criticism over participatory mapping in planning, some scholars are accusing it of being an empty ritual, unable to deal with substantial issues or being servile in the face of power. This article presents a participatory mapping and planning experience carried out by an action-research partnership in the Simeto valley (Italy). It claims that reframing participatory mapping through action research means both dealing directly with power and addressing substantial issues. Action research-based mapping’s effectiveness is related less to mappers’ ability to map spatial changes and more to the impact that mapping has on the mappers themselves.