City of Gardena—New General Plan Adoption Public Hearing Map

Debate over a new general plan was the subject of public information hearings held throughout 2005 in the city of Gardena, California. GIS was used to visualize the choices facing local residents and quickly implement suggestions into new versions of the plan. By making all unchanged areas partially transparent, changes were emphasized and helped focus the discussions. GIS also made comparisons of land-use areas a manageable task as versions of the plan were offered and rejected, which narrowed the field to two final options. Further refinements made because of these public hearings resulted in a land-use policy map that, with minor changes, was adopted by the city council on April 25, 2006.