The Results

The results of the simulation indicated strong consensus on a number of areas within the General Plan’s designated Urban Expansion Area. These preferred sites directed the majority of future development toward the most urbanized area of North Kona, limiting development in South Kona to infill and redevelopment. All the maps generated by the public were incorporated into the project’s GIS to gain an understanding of the public’s preferences.

A scan of one of the public-generated maps. Over 30 maps like this one were scanned and overlaid on each other in GIS to see where there was consensus for growth. Many participants made a statement for "no growth" by placing their chips in the ocean.

In an innovative use of GIS, the composite maps were used to analyze the degree to which there was consensus on both the location and intensity – the degree of compactness -- of future development. The results disclosed an initial set of preferred growth locations, or Growth Opportunity Areas, representing a distinctive element of future land use within Kona. A preliminary schematic location map was developed using these selected areas.

This sequence shows the frequency at which chips representing development were placed at any given grid cell location. The purple and the blue cells were places where more than 10 groups agreed development should occur. These locations became the basis for the eventual Growth Opportunity Areas.