Using Public Participation GIS to Assess Effects of Industrial Zones on Risk and Landscape Perception: A Case Study of Tehran Oil Refinery, Iran
: Gheitasi, Mahdi; Serrano, Giné David; Fagerholm, Nora; Albert, Yolanda Pérez
Publisher: MDPI AG
: BASEL
: 2024
: Earth
: Earth
: EARTH-BASEL
: 5
: 3
: 371
: 387
: 17
: 2673-4834
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030021
: https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030021
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/458379864
Petrochemical clusters are forms of industrialization that use compounds and polymers derived directly or indirectly from gas or crude oil for chemical applications. They pose a variety of short- and long-term risks to the environment and the people who live nearby. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the degree of perceived technological risk and the emotional value generated by the contemplation of the petrochemical industry landscape in order to try to establish strategic lines of action to mitigate the perception of risk and improve the emotional well-being of the population. This study uses manipulated pictures and a Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) survey to assess changes in perception and emotional response in residents in Teheran (Iran). Key findings show an insignificant relationship between technological risk and landscape value perception in both original and manipulated pictures. However, taking into account that, in general, in manipulated pictures, there is a more significant relationship, designing the landscape could help to mitigate the technological risk perception. This study contributes to the broader discussion about industrialization and its environmental and social consequences. It emphasizes the importance of considering public perception when planning and developing industrial areas, so as to balance industrial functionality and environmental and aesthetic considerations for long-term urban development.
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This study was funded by (1) Grant PID2020-114363GB-I00, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033; (2) the GRATET Research Group, which is funded by the Catalan Government under code 2009-SG744; (3) the Agency for Management of University and Research (AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain) through the 2017-SGR-245 Grant; and (4) the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities under a grant for predoctoral research training staff under code PRE2021-098679.
