ABSTRACT
The methodology developed by Mark Sondheim, which is presented as a matrix methodology in this chapter, has the potential to incorporate both specialist and lay opinion to rank by importance the attributes of a public space from the perspective(s) of either role-player. The two constructs, the spatial performance goals (SPG)s and the planning primers (PP)s, form the main ingredients in the matrices. The eventual outcome is derived from a normalised, integrated and systematically modelled process by means of the matrix manipulation procedure that minimises the time spent on as well as the expense of a project. According to the Sondheim method, evaluation is enabled to incorporate a large number of project alternatives, direct public participation in an assessment process, and apply to a wide variety of situations simultaneously. The methodology is a useful tool for consensus-building in a wide range of scenarios, and effective at reducing a great many possibilities to a much more manageable number.
