G.I.S from the margins: A city's attempt to involve ITs people in Land Use Planning Barbara Denil Department of Geography University of Namur, Belgium Email: barbara.denil@fundp.ac.be J. Andres F. Ignacio and Ruth Esquillo-Ignacio Environmental Science for Social Change, Philippines Email: ignacio@mlbly.philcom.com.ph In the Philippines, all local government units (LGUs) are required to prepare a Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) for their respective areas of jurisdiction. The prescribed process and planning method, while fairly comprehensive at the macro level, are limited in terms of addressing socio-political dynamics that underlie the rational and equitable allocation of land resources. Furthermore, the approach mainly focuses on the alienable and disposable lands, especially in the urban and lowland areas, with inadequate consideration of the forest and upland areas. The available institutional resources and experiences to undertake a more integrated and holistic planning process are often inadequate thus requiring the assistance external groups who have such capabilities. The land use planning experience of the City of Malaybalay in Mindanao, Philippines illustrates how development planning can be enhanced and made more effective with the use of participatory planning methods. It also provides insights on how collaborative endeavors between the government and civil society organizations can contribute to improved governance. The CLUP of Malaybalay was formulated with the assistance of the Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC), an Institute that has a long history of using Geographic Information Technology (G.I.T.) as a major tool in social development efforts, particularly in the area of sustainable resource management. It has also developed the community mapping method for various environmental management applications. This participatory method is essentially a process by which people at the margins of society, those working the land, are the ones who generate information on their area by drawing sketch map overlays based on their own knowledge, perception and understanding. These overlays are then integrated in a geographic information system (G.I.S.) thereby producing maps that reflect not only current land use patterns but also the complex interaction of people with their environment. As a result of the partnership, the city was able to formulate an integrated and holistic CLUP that is based on realistic information from the field and reflects the interests of the various sectors of the population. The challenge now is for the city government to translate the plan into concrete actions.