Chapter 13 The Three R's of Gis-Based Site Selection: Representation, Resistance, and Ridicule

Abstract

This chapter discusses the three R's of geographic information system (GIS)- based site selection: representation, resistance, and ridicule. The inspiration forthis chapter is Saul Alinsky [1909–1972], the pragmatic Chicago labor organizer and civil rights activist of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, whose lucidly potent book Rules for Radicals contrasts with the detumescent mutterings of social theorists wary of GIS. After a brief exploration of Alinsky's writings and the ways in which his insights promote empowerment as well as inform debate on the social context of GIS, the chapter examines two land-use controversies that demonstrate the power of ridicule as a defense against GIS based site-selection studies. The chapter presents two case studies that illustrate administrators and lawmakers, who write the statutes and regulations that guide environmental analysts, are often naively unaware of the limitations of maps and other geographic data.

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