ICT-based planning and the missing educational link

Abstract

The past century ended with an unexpected explosion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), both in planning/managing public policies, and in exchanging knowledge. However, the extent to which ICT-based tools increase the level of public knowledge, or help decision makers is still uncertain. Although indirectly, the overload of unfiltered Web-based information seems able to hamper the knowledge growth of people, particularly in some developing communities, whereas Decision Support Systems (DSS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) prove to be ineffective if managed by unskilled planning bodies. Given such warns, this paper outlines how the different social and cultural awareness of local communities can affect the outcomes of ICT-based tools. It further explores the impacts of ICT-based tools on community development and spatial planning, emphasizing the role of proper literacy and education for effective management.