Visualizing Public Participation: Wind Farm Development in Central Washington
Abstract
Washington State has seen a boom of industrial-scale wind farm construction over the past 10 years. The siting process for these projects has prompted conflict between those most directly impacted and those who favor broader community benefits.
The intent of this research is to develop an extensive geographic visual guide, which captures the political and geographic scales of this struggle and sheds light on who participates in the siting process and what that participation means for understanding broader policy questions about energy development, rural landscapes and public participation. Information on participating stakeholders was obtained by analyzing publicly available documents and media sources. Participants’ names, physical locations, and stances on wind projects were then inputted into an online mapping platform alongside locations of approved wind turbines.
I believe that the research methods employed here will help inform future efforts in visualizing qualitative data and that the final map will highlight how inequalities manifest in large scale industrial development.
Collections
- MA in Policy Studies [178]