ORCID
Greg Munno: 0000-0003-1773-9947 | Tina Nabatchi: 0000-0002-1410-3647
Document Type
Article
Date
2022
Keywords
sustainable development; public engagement; Q methodology; Costa Rica
Language
english
Disciplines
Film and Media Studies
Description/Abstract
The town of Nosara on Costa Rica’s Nicoya peninsula is home to a vibrant community of diverse residents and is adjacent to an important turtle nesting site. However, tensions between lifelong residents, more recent transplants, visitors, and developers have increased as more of the world discovers this once-isolated haven. Climate change, income inequality, and alienation from a distant government apparatus have further complicated effective land-use planning and fractured social cohesion. Using a mixed method approach of in-depth interviews (n = 67), Q methodology (n = 79), and public deliberation (n = 88), we explored residents’ priorities for the future of their town. The results indicate four different perspectives on Nosara’s future. Despite the tensions among those four perspectives, they show consensus on one overarching community issue: the need for a sustainable development plan. The case also shows how Q methodology can assist scholars and practitioners who embrace participatory approaches to policy development and conflict resolution in the environmental arena.
Recommended Citation
Munno, G.; Salas Castro, Á.; Nabatchi, T.; Freitag, C.M. Four Perspectives on a Sustainable Future in Nosara, Costa Rica. Sustainability 2022, 14, 16982. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/su142416982
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
