ABSTRACT
If, as some researchers suggest, local struggles are characterized as scale dependent, and if the works of community activists are ‘spatially fixed’ at the local level, then it is likely that they will continue as relatively unsupported endeavours because they fail to gain recognition and respect from larger political constituencies (cf. Herod 1991; Smith 1992; Delaney and Leitner 1997). The case studies in this volume suggest that, at its best, PPGIS offers the possibility of respect and credibility for residents, activists, and concerned citizens involved in planning, development, and environmental management. Is it possible that PPGIS enables a breakthrough of local practices and community concerns from what John Agnew (1993: 252) calls ‘hidden geographies’ of scale?
