Studies in Urban Planning and State and Local Government
ETHICS IN URBAN PLANNING 2
Case Study: Ethics in Urban Planning
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Case Study: Ethics in Urban Planning
The social fabric of city public spaces is a considerably subtle and complex issue and needs to offer people physical security and necessary privacy as required to grow smart. The objective of ethics in urban planning is to promote good urban governance, transparency and accountability in practice. It helps in eradicating sleaze dealings, conflicts of personal interests, and the misuse of power in order to uphold public trust and justice in local government accomplishment. Conflicts existing between private and professional ethical frameworks created cognitive and emotional dissention to varying levels of seriousness affecting urban planning undesirably (Lauria & Long, 2019). Planning issues frequently comprise a conflict of values and, habitually, there are huge private interests in the balance. These issues emphasize the significance of the maximum standards of justice and honesty amongst all contributors. In this paper, a case study is discussed with reference to an article by Wachs (1989) - When Planners Lie with Numbers, as a basis for the case study work.
Wachs’ article explores possible formally adopted policy affecting how employees can show dissent from actions by elected officials or planning commission and determination of public interest. It discusses ethical standards used for data and analysis based on the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the American Institute of Certified Planners. The author highlights a tale of two cities in planning leadership context in order to cite “how planners have responded in a variety of ways to the ethical dilemmas arising in public policy decision making” (Wachs, 1989, p. 479). The paper encompasses discussion and analysis of ethics in data use in keeping with the American Institute of Certified Planners. It further discusses and analyzes descriptive ethical issues involved in misusing statistics, statistical methods, and data such as what ethical issues can occur. Included is the discussion and analysis of analytical ethical issues involved in misusing statistics, statistical methods, and data including why ethical issues occur. Prescriptive ethical issues explored recommend what can be done in order to correct the problems, with all the aspects of the discussions and analyses incorporating relevant Biblical viewpoints concerning planning based on scriptures.
Ethics in Data Use
Data ethics revolve around moral problems associated with data from its generation to use. The current American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Code of Ethics holds two applicable references regarding information management, which describe ethics in data use (Schweitzer & Afzalan, 2017). The first instance in the section concerns the profession’s responsibilities to the public stating that protects against deliberate or with irresponsible indifference failure to give adequate, opportune, clear and accurate information in relation to planning matters. The second scenario of information management relates to long-lasting criticisms against disclosing confidential information, ideologies shared widely across all the careers, ranging from health care to education, that use information regarding persons and organizations.
The code protects against use to personal advantage, that of an ensuing client or company, information acquired in a professional association that the customer or employer has demanded be held unaltered. Schweitzer and Afzalan (2017) add that the code also protects against information that ought to be recognized as confidential since its disclosure could lead to humiliation or other disadvantage to the customer or company. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (The King James Version, 2020), it says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” This accentuates the need for honesty in a biblical perspective for Christians with good ethics.
AICP Code of Ethics holds that confidential information should not be disclosed except when obligatory by process of law, or in case the information is required to avert a blatant violation of law. In Proverbs 11:13 (The King James Version, 2020), it states, “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” The code also specifies an exception when the information is required to avoid a considerable injury to the public. Additionally, disclosure pursuant to the above articles shall not be made until after verification of the facts and matters surrounding a case and utilized efforts to get reevaluation of the matter in feasible scenarios. It requires seeking of separate views on the matter from other qualified experts working for the organization in question.
Descriptive Ethical Issues in Misusing Statistics, Methods & Data
There are numerous possible ways in which unethical issue or conduct can occur in misusing statistics, methods, and data. One of the ethical issues is unethical leadership. Breeding a personal issue with one’s superior at the workplace is one thing, but reporting to someone who is acting unethically is another. Biblically, this is a ground to seek spiritual counseling so as to avoid further damages. In Proverbs 15:22 (The King James Version, 2020), it says, “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.” In most cases, this issue may present in a clear form, such as manipulating numerical values in a report or spending organizational funds on unsuitable activities. However, it can also occur more skillfully, in the manner of bullying, enduring inappropriate gifts from customers, or asking for a favor that violates a standard procedure merely once. With research findings showing that managers are accountable for mainstream workplace misbehavior, the misuse of leadership authority is an ill-fated reality (Linstead, Maréchal & Griffin, 2014; Forester, 2004).
Another descriptive ethical issue in misusing statistics, methods and data is using statistical methods, procedures, or models in ways that generate distorted or false results through fabrication. Gardenier and Resnik (2002) state that the federal government along with the scientific community have changed to a thin explanation of misconduct that centers on fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism (p. 257). However, the new federal policy stipulates that the misuse of statistics can be categorized as an indication of misconduct when it comprises deliberate deception. Other misuses could be categorized as fabrication if they incorporate falsifying data, information, or results, while it can be a falsification if the missuses encompass manipulation, alteration, or ignoring of data or results within the context of descriptive statistics. Misuses of statistics that do not contain deliberate dishonesty could be regarded as honest error, ineptitude, partiality, or grave deviations from tolerable practice. An individual who makes a lot of errors caused by haste, ignorance, or disorder may be described as a neglectful person or deficient of the desirable level of competence, statistical or something else.
In addition, failing to disclose vital information regarding statistical methodology to researchers is a descriptive ethical issue in misusing statistics, methods and data (Gardenier & Resnik, 2002). Misuses of statistics can at some point violate several ethical obligations and sometimes not. An example is the obligation to be honest, the responsibility to be objective, the burden of evading error, as well as the duty to be open in statistical planning activities. Disclosing vital information on statistical methods used promotes transaction transparency. In case an individual’s personal data is used, they need to be granted transparent access to the algorithm design applied in the generation of aggregate data sets.
Analytical Ethical Issues in Misusing Statistics, Methods and Data
Unethical leadership occurs because of inadequate or lack of previous research posed a challenge to the organization because organizations bank on evidence as a basis for strategy and policies formulations. The most innovative methods to organization strategies are entrenched on justification from previous studies. When the body of research is missing, organization leaders would be compelled to create and implement strategies based on a trial-and-error approach. In the perspective of preventing unethical acts by leaders in companies, the organization becomes unable to successfully create strategies to prevent unethical issues in practice. This occurs when the factors promoting or enticing its leaders to be engaged in unethical practices are unknown. Unethical leadership is caused by a near total control for project managers who capitalize on the lack of process, accountability and penalties for behavior in an organization. There are chances that leaders fail to uphold employee expectations which amounts to psychological contract violation by the leaders.
Using statistical methods, procedures, or models in ways that generate distorted or false results through fabrication is mainly caused by undue pressures to publish information. Kingori and Gerrets (2016) state that data fabrication, inappropriate collection approaches and poor data management are regarded as disadvantageous to high-quality scientific research. Data fabrication revolves around inventing data or case scenarios are often described as scientific misconduct that have a common trademark feature which is the purpose of manipulating research outputs. It encompasses data falsification and plagiarism measures. Falsification of data includes distortion of data or findings to yield desirable outcomes, contrary to getting genuine results, while plagiarism involves failure to acknowledge sources of copied words, philosophies or data. Resnik (2014) reports that scientists have rules relating to data fabrication and falsification, which should be observed and imposed with substantial punishments like loss of funding, termination of service, among others.
Failure to disclose vital information regarding statistical methodology to researchers is a descriptive ethical issue in misusing statistics, methods and data and caused by distrust and avoidance of statistics being misused. The significant reasons for distrust of statistics incorporate possibility figures being manipulated using comparative methods by dishonest persons to convey an incorrect picture of the evidences. It also aims at avoiding unnecessary confusion to third parties who do not really know much about statistics and methodologies thereof.
Prescriptive Ethical Issues in Misusing Statistics, Methods and Data
Statistics play a significant role in several aspects of contemporary post-industrial societies. Even though statistics are occasionally discharged as froth or ambiguous math, doubted as partial, or unswervingly associated with lying, the fact is that they are inevitably significant. Fixing unethical leadership begins with the hiring process, which should be made thorough since the primary step in solving any problem is preventing it from ever occurring. The hiring team should believe in the guidance of God and the Holy Spirit to get the right candidate for the job. In 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (The King James Version, 2020), it says, “... not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” As a result, an organization should ensure its business does not hire unethical behavior in the workforce as God entrusts His servants according to Isaiah 42:1, stating, “here is my servant, whom I uphold.”
The solution requires an effort to carry out screening and checking if the existing hiring system is satisfactory with reference to ethics. Despite the fact qualifications and experience are unquestionably central, the human resource management should also pay close consideration to values of the candidates. The organization needs people with values and strong morals to run the business processes thereof, necessitating suitable screening in the way of background checks before recruiting a new staff. Where necessary, the recruiting organization needs to contact the candidate’s former employers as they will be a dependable source to know more about the prospective candidate’s character and work ethics in detail.
Using statistical methods, procedures, or models in ways that generate distorted or false results through fabrication can be counteracted by reducing the undue pressures to publish information. Researchers and statisticians through ethical planning should consider initiating their plans early enough. Piccolo (2016) states that ethics is treated as a value that must be observed by everybody irrespective of its job or field of studies. The author adds that a good person will act ethically and apparently. This turns out to be much more significant when dealing with urban planning as a subject “strictly connected with the public interest” (Piccolo, 2016, p. 102). This should begin with drafting a timeline of events and necessary tools to accomplish the objectives since this approach makes them organized and strategic.
Failure to disclose vital information regarding statistical methodology to researchers can be resolved fostering cooperation and doing things right according to the code of ethical research. Gillam and Guillemin (2018) claim that relationships existing between investigators and research ethics committees have been uptight for a long time. Current empirical research indicates that there is a continuous sense of mistrust between some investigators and the committee members. Although researchers generally see the ethics review process as important in principle, they also see the process as antagonistic, and as generating needless bureaucratic obstacles. Investigators from various disciplines and methods, both quantitative and qualitative, are both irritated, misconstrued, and distrusted by the committee.
Conclusion
This paper has discussed a case study based on the article by Wachs entitled - When Planners Lie with Numbers, as a basis for the case study work. Findings revealed that Wachs’ article outlines formally adopted policy affecting how employees can show dissent from actions by elected officials or planning commission and determination of public interest. Ethical standards used for data and analysis in line with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the American Institute of Certified Planners concur with the discussion and analysis of ethics in data use in keeping with the American Institute of Certified Planners. It further explored unethical leadership, using statistical methods, procedures, or models in ways that generate distorted or false results and failing to disclose vital information regarding statistical methodology to researchers as descriptive ethical issues. Analytical and prescriptive ethical issues were discussed as well to explain causes and remedies to the issues under review. Therefore, instituting an ethical culture in a workplace environment and addressing the issues discussed in this paper can lead to good urban planning. Consequently, it will resolve immediate needs while determined to accomplish a city's sole vision of the future in urban planning ventures.
References
Gardenier, J. S. & Resnik, D. B. (2002). The misuse of statistics: concepts, tools, and a research agenda. Accountability in Research, 9(2), 65-74. DOI:10.1080/08989620212968
Gillam, L. & Guillemin, M. (2018). Reflexivity: overcoming mistrust between research ethics committees and researchers. In The sage handbook of qualitative research ethics (pp. 263-274). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781526435446
King James Bible. (2020). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org
Kingori, P. & Gerrets, R. (2016). Morals, morale and motivations in data fabrication: Medical research fieldworkers views and practices in two Sub-Saharan African contexts. Social Science & Medicine, 166(2016), 150-159. DOI.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.08.019
Linstead, S., Maréchal, G. & Griffin (2014). Theorizing and researching the dark side of organization. Organization Studies, 35(2), 168-188. DOI: 10.1177/0170840613515402
Piccolo, F. (2016). Ethics and planning research. Routledge.
Resnik, D. B. (2014). Data fabrication and falsification and empiricist philosophy of science. Science And Engineering Ethics, 20(2), 423–431. DOI.org/10.1007/s11948-013-9466-z
Schweitzer, L. A. & Afzalan, N. (2017). 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0: Four reasons why AICP needs an open data ethic. Journal of the American Planning Association, 83(2), 161-167. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2017.1290495
Wachs, M. (1989). When planners lie with numbers. Journal of the American Planning Association, 55(4), 476-479.