Healthy Eating and Active Living in North Portland: Asset Mapping with G.I.S.

Making community development as democratic as possible has long been a challenge for urban planners and municipalities alike. A number of obstacles stand in the way of greater community participation in the planning process and consequently communities who are best served by their design. Visual Preference Surveys (VPS) are a tool planners can use to increase participation in the design process within the communities they serve. This can result in community plans that more accurately reflect the wants or needs of its members. Relying heavily on image driven content, VPS offers communities a straightforward methodology that asks participants to rate paired images of development options. This document is a review of some of the literature focused on the uses of VPS. Included is an explanation of VPS, the advantages and challenges it offers, general case studies, and the potential for using VPS to specifically address issues related to Healthy Eating/Active Living