Rethinking Transect Walk and Community Mapping Process

Land and Development 9993963 University of Manchester Ms.

Selma Carson Land and Development 9993963 University of
Manchester TheMs.methodologies
Selma Carson andand
Land techniques
Development 9993963
University of Manchester Ms. Selma Carson Land and Development
9993963 University of Manchester Ms. Selma Carson Land and
Development 9993963 University of Manchester Ms. Selma Carson

By: Khalafalla Omer M.Sc. Global Urban Development & Planning, University of Manchester, UK
Architect and Urban Planner MBA in Project Management, University of Science and Technology, Sudan
Email: khalaf_81@hotmail.com B.Sc. in Architecture and Spatial Planning, University of Science and Technology, Sudan
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Introduction:-

One of the most important phases of participatory planning is the transect walk and community
planning process. The transect walk can be considered as a valuable on-field activity by which different
urban actors can engaged in walking activity through a specified community area in order to break down
the problems, assets and other existence solutions. While the community mapping is a kind of
discussion process by which different urban actors identify the physical, social and economic
characteristics of a given areas using maps and problems analysis techniques.

Section 1 The interactive methodology:-

Transect walk and community mapping tend to be an effective participatory planning tool, as it can lead
to a proper utilization of the available resource and assets to cope with challenges and problems in a
highly interactive engagement platform. The interactive engagement methodologies used in transect
walk and community mapping process ensures valuable outcomes such as in-depth analysis of problems
and assets, comparable information represents different points of views, high monitoring and
investigation coverage and democratic evaluation of arise problems and challenges. However, these
outcomes would not be achievable without specified efficient techniques that should be implemented in
both processes.

Section 2 Techniques for transect walk:-

On one hand, the transect walk activity have to involve different techniques in-order to assure valuable
outcomes. First, it should engage different types of urban actors, such as representatives from local
community organization, official from local government, experts in the field of development and other
representative from fund agents. This technique can ensure different points of views in identifying
problems and solution. Second, the transect walk must introduce different types of investigations, as
transect walk members can take different responsibilities while walking, for example, one can handle
the responsibility of asking question to locals so as to know the local demands, other can take notes of
local responds, and other one can do on site observation to capture the spatial existing conditions.
Lastly, it is highly recommended to do across sectional transect walk, that means that one transact walk
team to cover their area and another nearby area. In contrast, the transect walk team of the nearby

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area has to cover their areas and the anther area as well, so as to end up with critical identification for
the existing issues, which implies a first impression and at the same time an overview feedback for each
area.

Section 3 Techniques for c community mapping:-

On the hand, the input of community mapping process taken from the transect walk process have to
breakdown the identified problems, opportunities, assets and existing solutions with reference to
considered techniques. First, community mapping has to show the spatial form of poverty and wealth
pocket of visited areas so as to have a general understanding of deprived areas and other areas with
existing solutions. Second, analysis of problems causes and effects has to be scheduled and listed by
different urban actors among the transect walk to ensure in-depth analysis for the problem. Third, its
recommended to rank the degree of the problems by all team members so as to deliver a democratic
way of prioritizing the problems.

Conclusion:-

At the end we have to make sure that all stationary tools are there to facilitate the implementation of
these techniques, such tools can be note book, pens, voice recorders, paper sheet, colored cards and
markers. And in conclusion, transect walk and community mapping process can be considered as an
effective and efficient tool to utilize the resource. However, its the consideration of appropriate
interactive techniques used throughout the process which dictates and assure the valuable outcomes.

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Reference List:-

Keller, S. (2008) Transect Walk [Online]. Available at: http://www.sswm.info/content/transect-walk

(Accessed: 05 March 2017).

Mahiri, I. (2001) Comparing transect walks with experts and local people [Online]. Available at:
http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/G01744.pdf (Accessed: 05 March 2017).

World Bank (2001) Transect Walk and Diagramming: Procedures and Examples. Available at:
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CatComm (2015) Community Mapping through Transect Walks. Available at:

http://pmgsy.nic.in/downloads/WorldBank/ECOP/Annexures/ANNEXURE%2020-2.pdf (Accessed: 05
March 2017).. Washington DC: CatComm.

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