In more detail
Participatory Appraisal (PA - also called Participatory Rapid Appraisal, or PRA) is an approach to learning and planning based on finding out about an area and understanding how to use whatever is available locally (skills, land and buildings, local agencies and managers, communities and networks etc) as assets. PA comes out of the practice of agencies and workers in developing countries who wanted to help local people improve their own place in their own way using local skills and resources as far as possible.
Key characteristics in PA are:
- it is community led – outside experts are ‘on tap, not on top’; the process is driven by the people who live in a place; and the most of the most important assets are local
- it is collaborative – it aims to draw on the know-how of a wide range of people; depends on widespread participation; and therefore creates many ways of taking part
- it works in ‘real-time’ and is action-oriented – PA is about getting a practical plan of action people can start working on, not writing a detailed analysis of what hasn’t worked in the past or what ought to be done in an ideal world
- it is positive – about what we can do, rather than what we can’t; understanding threats and weaknesses is important, but the focus must be on strengths and opportunities because the end result is an action plan we can start to deliver
- it is inclusive – the aim is to look at the whole neighbourhood; we can’t be sure where our best assets lie; it uses visual methods (pictures, graphs) extensively and the evidence of the senses rather than relying on methods that need a lot of written words; people who are usually excluded, have insights and ideas we need
- it is conversational – based on dialogue, rather than consultation (which is based on interviews rather than conversation); the aim is to enable learning through showing and talking as far as possible; there is as little external structure put on this as possible – conversations are free-ranging
- it tends to be visual rather than verbal - people can use pictures, diagrams, maps and charts rather than having to read and write to describe complex ideas and know-how
- it is a process – like planning – not a one off project.
Examples of PA Tools
PA includes a set of ‘open source’ tools and techniques that are being continually added to, rather than a proprietary approach ‘owned’ by a particular organisation. PA tools and techniques include things like:
Neighbourhood walks – walking through a neighbourhood as a group enables people to ‘show and tell’ about local opportunities and to talk more openly and creatively about solving problems together.
Mental maps – pictures of what a place looks like from different points of view. People can highlight the important features in how they see and experience the neighbourhood and use the maps to compare and to build up a rounded picture of their place.
Ordinal ranking – means putting things in an order - a whole range of techniques work on the basis of comparing things with each other rather than trying to find a precise system of measurement for ranking them.
| Key Facts:
Participatory Appraisal is an approach based on the idea that local people are the 'resident experts' in the pace they live. It comes out of the work of agencies in teh developing world that wanted to enable people to improve their own place using - as far as possible - their own tools, skills and resources. PA is community-led; collaborative; works in real-time; positive; inclusive; conversational or visual; and, like planning, it is a process - not a one-off project. PA includes a wide and increasing range of tools which you can find out about and use (and help to develop so other peoplke can use them) for free. |
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BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY PLANNING TOOLKIT DEFINITION SHEET This sheet may be reproduced in paper or electromic or any other form but please mention it was made by Chamberlain Forum Limited for Birmingham City Council supported by Department for Communities and Local Government.
| created: 2016-06-17 16:56:09 | by: admin | status: f published |