Communication & Interaction (13%) Flashcards
A Message Pyramid consists of:
a Key Message on top, a First Proof layer in the middle, and a Second Proof layer at the bottom.
Key Messages should be long-lasting and consistent statements, regardless of situation. The two “proof layers” are proof points that back up the key message.
What is are the “proof layers” of a Message Pyramid?
The two “proof layers” are proof points that back up the key message.
-first proof point
-second proof point
What is the first proof point of a Message Pyramid?
The first proof point is a factual statement about the benefits of planning.
needs to be believable and memorable.
What is the second proof point of a Message Pyramid?
The second proof point amplifies the first proof point, using,
-e.g., “a startling statistic,
-an anecdote,
-an endorsement of planning from an allied group, or
-an amplification of the core statement.”
What is Bridging?
Bridging is a technique that planners can use to reframe controversial issues, responding to opponents while also recasting how the issue is viewed.
The trick is to use transitional phrases to stay on message when asked a question that could take you off topic.
Don’t say “that’s a good question.” Don’t avoid questions you don’t like or you will appear evasive.
What should planners do instead of reactively waiting for reporters to call to get their opinion?
Planners should proactively cultivate media contact, issue press releases or write letters to the editor, and think about what information they want to impart.
The focus is to communicate the benefits and positive outcomes of planning.
Infographics are:
Infographics are an important way for planners to communicate. They should be concise, innovative, engaging, and easy to understand.
What is the primary obligation of planners?
To serve the public interest.
How public participation breaks down: 7 ways
-lack of trust
-fear of change
-exclusion
-opposing views
-specialty silos
-endless, unproductive meetings
Charrette Process:
form of citizen participation that involves a brief period of intense activity to come to a design solution for a specific area.
builds trust by embedding people in the design process.
-change perceptions via collaborative design
-bring people together to solve problems
-time-compression: sense of urgency - you need deadlines and to make things happen.
-third-party facilitation (neutral mediator)
take over a month to prepare.
intensive, interactive problem-solving session (eg. focusing on the commercial main street)
assembles an interdisciplinary team—typically consisting of planners, citizens, city officials, architects, landscape architects, transportation engineers, parks and recreation officials, and other stakeholders—to create a design and implementation plan for a specific project. It differs from a traditional community consultation process in that it is design-based.
Stakeholder Analysis
- Primary Stakeholders: public and appointed officials who are key decision-makers
- Secondary Stakeholders: non-governmental organizations and businesses and residents directly affected by the charrette
- General Stakeholders: the rest of the general public
Phase I of Charrette Process: Pre-Design
build trust well in advance of the charrette.
MOST IMPORTANT: public kick-off meeting six weeks prior to the charrette - from well-rounded group of participants - maybe there’s a mapping exercise or they create a vision wall, or conduct a visual preference survey
the purpose of this is to create a draft set of values, goals, and objectives that you use as a starting point for the charrette.
-steering committee
-walking tour
-extensive interviews
Phase II of Charrette Process: Charrette
event to gather info from the public and what their vision is.
Iterative process that goes on for about a week.
What is Phase III of Charrette Process?
Plan Adoption and Implementation
Charrette provides political momentum to carry out a plan and adopt it. It takes a few years to get to this point.
What are the 3 phases of the charrette process?
- Pre-Design
- Charrette
- Plan Adoption and Implementation
Framing
Educate the community about the benefits of planning and planners.
Educate on what planning is and why we do it. be forceful about the value of planning.
Frame messages in order to obtain agreement from audience.
4 things that the APA expects from planners:
- Planners create communities of lasting value.
- Planners are skilled at balancing the varied interests and viewpoints that emerge as a community plans its future.
- Planners have a unique expertise to address issues comprehensively
5 examples of Bridging phrasing:
You don’t want to be evasive but you want to pivot in a way that gets your key message across and stays on topic:
- “People have said that, but the key thing to remember is…”
- “That’s an interesting point, but I think the bigger issue is…”
- “It’s too early to talk about that, but we do know that…”
- “That is a problem, but what we see as an even bigger issue is…”
- “That’s something we are looking into, but the thing we are focusing on the most is…”
You cannot just delete comments, but you can have…
a social media policy!
for a more moderated discussion.
7 Tips for Equitable Digital Engagement
- Digital outreach should be mobile app compatible.
- Provide mobile hotspots to supplement internet services
- Standardize public engagement practices
- Phone interviews and mailed surveys with postage-paid return envelopes are useful feedback options.
5.
Web Accessibility Checklist
- Provide sufficient contrast in colors and textures
- Limit and prioritize color in the interface
- Allow manual font size adjustment
- Keyboard accessibility
- Provide alt-text or descriptions for non-text content
- Use headings to organize page content.
Sunshine Laws (aka Open Meeting Laws)
require that meetings, documents and decisions are publicly available
Every state has public information laws.
It can be difficult to determine if a blog post, a tweet, or a Facebook post is a public record - planners should consult state and local regulations.
Diversity is…
the presence of difference.
Can be measured/numbers-driven.
Not the same as equity and inclusion.
Diversity invites others in but equity actually modifies practices.
Equity is…
giving attention to the differences (the diversity) that are found. attending to the advantages and disadvantages that exist among different groups
correction of the inequities needs to be identified and addressed.
Diversity invites others in but equity actually modifies practices.
Equity is more values-driven than numbers driven.
Inequity, which is measurable, is marked by two key attributes that often work together: DISPROPORTIONALITY (disproportionate impacts lead to further social and economic impairment) and INSTITUTIONALIZED INEQUITY (inequity is often embedded in methodologies that justify systemic policies).
Inclusion is…
making people feel welcomed, valued, and involved.
Planning for Equity Policy Guide
-Inequity is measurable
Two key attributes:
-disproportionality
-institutionalized inequity
Governments, through policy, created systemic inequity.
The failure to acknowledge equity in planning policy institutionalizes inequity.
Disproportionality (Planning for Equity Policy Guide)
when the outcomes of a project or a plan create or amplify disparities in only PART of a community.
Institutionalized Inequity (Planning for Equity Policy Guide)
systemic policies that are ignoring negative outcomes and ignoring disproportionate impacts, which can lead to further economic impairment.
this is often embedded in the system and promotes systemic inequity.
3 Cross-Cutting Equity Issues:
(Planning for Equity Policy Guide)
- Gentrification - not a good thing. Not the same as revitalization.
- Environmental Justice
- Community Engagement and Empowerment
What are the 3 results of community engagement if planners do it well:
(Planning with Diverse Communities)
- Innovative and informed solutions
- More efficient decision making
- Ability to mobilize and leverage resources
What are two things that need to come before community engagement with diverse communities?
(Planning with Diverse Communities)
- Understanding
- Respect
THEN
3. Engage
Asset-Based vs Needs-Based understanding of a community - which is better?
Asset-based.
Instead of thinking “this community is poor and needs to be fixed” think instead: “this community has assets that can be leveraged.”
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) emphasizes the creation of policies and
activities involving the capacities and skills of neighborhood residents
What is the asset-based community development approach?
-The community has assets that can be leveraged.
-The data shows what is great already and what can be improved.
-Data collected is numbers, but also listening to stories.
-Change is achieved by engaging the community in its own self-determination.
-Leadership model: facilitated by planners but led by residents.
-The most valuable resource is not financial, but people and relationships.
-Participation success = increased capacity and empowerment, not just # of people showing up to meetings.
Sherry Arnstein
Ladder of Citizen Participation
What are the rungs of the ladder of citizen participation?
CITIZEN POWER:
(8): Citizen Control
(7) Delegated Power
(6) Partnership
TOKENISM:
(5) Placation
(4) Consultation
(3) Informing
NONPARTICIPATION:
(2) Therapy
(1) Manipulation
Spectrum of Public Participation
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
framework for public engagement with a timeline and phases (5 total phases)
What are the five phases of the Spectrum of Public Participation?
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
- Inform
- Consult
- Involve
- Collaborate
- Empower
increasing levels of public impact
What is the “Inform” phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation?
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
Inform is the first phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation.
You communicate the issues you plan to address. “Here’s what’s happening, here’s what we’re thinking about doing” (eg. comprehensive plan)
No real interaction happening at this point, just newsletters, flyers, websites, open houses, public meetings.
What is the “Consult” phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation?
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
Consult is the second phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation.
You obtain feedback on alternatives to make an informed decision.
A precursor to public participation. (eg. surveying, public comments, public hearings, focus groups)
What is “Involve” phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation?
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
Involve is the third phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation.
Including people in the process, building relationships. Ensure that that public wants are understood and taken into consideration.
Start to drum up interest in the visioning process (eg. open space meetings, workshops, polling)
What is “Collaborate” phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation?
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
Collaborate is the fourth phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation.
Partner with the public to each aspect of planning.
Work with others to produce or create something together. Visioning process, consensus building.
Charrettes, citizen advisory, consensus building, participatory decision.
What is “Empower” phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation?
(Planning with Diverse Communities pg 58)
Empower is the fifth and final phase of the Spectrum of Public Participation.
Support the aspirations of the public and contribute to the implementation of their plans.
Action teams, delegated responsibility, creation of non-profits, leadership development.
What are the 9 barriers to engagement?
(Planning with Diverse Communities Chapter 4)
- Lack of knowledge
- Lack of Transportation
- Location
- Meeting Format and Communication
- Language and Literacy Barriers
- Meeting Schedules
- Costs - for transportation, child care, food, time off work in order to attend meetings.
- Trust - concerns about confidentiality, or distrust bc of lack of diversity in participants
- Relevance - issues presented to communities of color should be relevant to them (eg. education of kids > biking or reducing greenhouse gases)
How do you overcome trust barriers in engaging the community (3 ways)?
(Planning with Diverse Communities Chapter 4)
- employ members of the community to conduct surveys and help facilitate planning meetings.
- OR employ staff that represents the community where outreach is being conducted.
- OR hire staff from other trusted organizations in the community to facilitate meetings or collect data.
What is Outreach Evaluation and what are the 4 types of Outreach Evaluation?
the importance of needing to evaluate your engagement to see if it was successful.
Methods:
-process evaluation
-outcome evaluation
-impact evaluation
-Ripple Effect Mapping (REM)
What is Process Evaluation and when does it take place?
Process evaluation is the evaluation of how well the planned outreach strategy actually engaged targeted communities/ populations (eg. recognizing implicit bias, achieving optimal benefits)
It involves collecting data in the planning and implementation phases, such as frequency and content of planning meetings, inclusiveness of process, and diversity/representativeness of planners.
Process evaluations are done at the beginning and throughout the engagement process.
What is implicit bias?
Stereotyping unconsciously
when we have attitudes towards people or associate stereotypes with them without our conscious knowledge
affects our understanding, actions, and decisions subconsciously.
What is Outcome Evaluation and when does it take place?
assesses change resulting from community engagement (eg. change in the way people engage with each other, change resulting from their engagement)
Evaluation might involve collecting individual or community level changes in how people engage with each other. Outcome evaluation is conducted at the end of an engagement process.
were people really engaging each other? to what extent were they involved?
What is Impact Evaluation and when does it take place?
seeks to establish evidence of causality related to engagement - how much your actions actually produced a particular outcome.
This evaluation can be more challenging to implement and costly to do because of the prerequisites needed to be able to conduct it effectively.
This type of evaluation answers the question: To what extent can community change be attributed to community engagement?
Ripple Effect Mapping (REM)
a method of evaluation to engage stakeholders in assessing the impact of community engagement.
Participants look back over a period of time to understand what happened and think about key moments that really mattered in the engagement process.
Participants create a visual map of direct or indirect impacts of community engagement.
What is the first step you should take to lower accessibility barriers to engaging the community?
(how do you obtain more engagement to include people with disabilities)
Survey - what do disabled folks need in order to participate?
Planners don’t assume they know what people need. Surveys are a way of asking the community to find out.
Which race uses Instagram the most?
Black, non-Hispanic
Who are the 3 key figures of community engagement?
- Paul Davidoff - advocacy planning
- Sherry Arnstein - ladder of participation
- Saul Alinsky
What are the 3 levels of participation from Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation?
Citizen Power - citizens are active and involved and have a voice in policy making.
Tokenism - public participation is for the sake of saying that you included them.
Non-Participation
Planners must know the right engagement strategy for the right situation.
Planners should not push their “solutions”
When are surveys a good idea?
Good for understanding perceptions; gauging attitudes and preferences
- not best way to get public input and build consensus
-mail surveys have low response rates though they are inexpensive
-internet-based surveys are not a good way to reach the elderly/poor
When are focus groups a good idea?
Focus groups are particularly useful for addressing a specific issue OR for when a topics are more controversial/ sensitive social issues
-good for discussing plan concepts before drafting a plan (formative research phase)
-help to build consensus
-good for committee with a specific task
-facilitate sessions with small groups.
if there are strong neighborhood voices, planners will have to meet with as many groups as possible.
What is the Delphi Method/Technique?
created in 1944 for the U.S. Army Air Force.
A panel of selected, informed citizens and stakeholders are asked to complete a series of questionnaires anonymously.
After each round of questioning, feedback on the responses is presented to the group.
Participants are encouraged to revise their answers based on the replies heard.
Over time, the range of answers decreases and the group converges towards a single solution.
What is the Delphi Method/Technique good for?
consensus building - it’s a structured process of public participation with the intent of coming to a consensus decision.
-experts anonymously respond to questionnaires, receive statistical feedback in the form of a group response
-reiterative process that reduces the range of responses
When are public meetings a good idea?
-participant focused
-focused on sharing ideas and consensus building
-prioritizing
-participant recruitment
-facilitated small group discussion
-real-time polling (get clickers when you walk into the meeting)
When are charrettes a good idea?
a way for community visioning and gathering community input.
how do you lay out the plan,
What do you start a charrette with?
Stakeholder analysis.
Engage with primary, secondary, and general stakeholders.
If there’s not enough trust within the community, you might want to have a __________ for the charrette.
Mediator.
Homeowner’s Loan Corporation
developed the practice of redlining, which was about assessing mortgage risk.
What does APA want planners to do about reversing redlining?
Advocate for an equity in all policies approach. Apply an equity lens to everything you do.
What’s the difference between gentrification and development/ revitalization?
Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change with winners and losers, and development or revitalization are actions that are undertaken.
Inclusive Community Engagement
Plans will never be successful without it.
Participatory Budgeting
a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget
In participatory budgeting, community members vote on capital budget priorities in their district, ward, or neighborhood service area.
Planners need to take precautions to ensure that privileged groups do not take control of the process.
What are the 4 Forms of Municipal Government?
-Weak Mayor-Council
-Strong Mayor-Council
-Commission Plan
-Council-Manager
Weak Mayor-Council
a form of municipal government where the Council is very powerful and has executive authority. Mayor has limited power or no veto power
The Mayor has limited power when it comes to city administration.
Strong Mayor-Council
a form of municipal government where the Mayor has strong executive power, directs the administrative structure, appoints and removes Department heads, has veto power
(eg. City of Pittsburgh)
Commission Plan
a form of municipal government similar to Weak-Mayor form where the Council chooses the Mayor
Council-Manager
a form of municipal government where a manager is appointed.
common in larger cities.
the manager has a lot of power.
Paul Davidoff
credited with creating Advocacy Planning.
He was active in the 1960s.
About correcting social injustices by giving all participants equal footing in the planning process.
Planners should work on behalf of special interests.
Sherry Arnstein
created the Ladder of Citizen Participation and wrote a famous book.
Saul Alinsky
a community organizer working in Chicago. He was very active in trying to motivate community engagement. Barack Obama was influenced by Alinsky’s methods.
What are neighborhood sample surveys for?
Planners might conduct sample surveys with neighborhood residents to understand what their perceptions are about the community.
surveys are used to gauge attitudes and preferences.
surveys are not good at getting public input and building consensus.
mail and phone surveys are good for elderly people who are less likely to use the internet.
3 Rules of Thumb for Public Engagement:
- more input is better than less input; planners should be proactive in getting stakeholder input.
- planners should not push their “solutions”
- big public hearings are less effective as a means of gathering input for contentious social issues.
3 Types of Surveys:
- Face-to-Face: at home, work, or public places. (expensive, require interviewer training, but you can explain and explore issues)
- Telephone survey (accurate, cheap)
- Written questionnaire (by mail, email, or web survey) - cheapest, but low response rates, need expertise, can take time if by mail
What are the disadvantages of using a mail survey?
Response is slower, VERY low response rate.
Typically less than 20% of surveys are returned.
What is the Oregon Model?
This was an early use of community based visioning in the planning process.
The Oregon Model is seen as tool to help communicate and better manage complex change; thinking about what people want and making it explicit.
What are the 5 steps of the Oregon Model?
- Community Profile - where are we now?
- Trend Analysis - where are we going?
- Vision Statement - where do we want to be?
- Action Plan - how do we get there?
- Implementation & Monitoring - are we getting there?
What are the charrette work cycles?
- public meeting vision
- alternative concepts
- public meeting review
- preferred plan
- open house review
- plan development
- public meeting confirmation
What are the key differences between the Charrette system and other planning processes?
- compressed/intensive work sessions
-short feedback loops for maximum participation so people don’t burn out
-focus on working collaboratively
-attention to detail but having the dexterity to respond to issues quickly
-multi-day (extends over at least 3 consecutive days) NOT a one-day workshop NOT a marathon involving everyone (it’s more structured than that)
Interaction tools include:
(e-government)
-online discussion
-social networking sites
-collaborating on documents
-online polls, surveys, crowdsourcing
-internet petitions
-mobile applications
-e-commerce: permits and more
Information Tools and Interaction Tools are different. Information tools include:
(e-government)
-websites
-Listservs and notification systems
-video capture and distribution
-mapping
-mashups
-scenario planning and calculators
-children’s activities
(eg. make a neighborhood plan available on a government website)
What are the two main types of e-government?
- Information Tools
- Interaction Tools
What is social justice?
Planning for diverse or underserved communities; social empowerment
What are 4 ways of increasing diversity in the planning process?
-use recruiters to identify and cultivate future leaders
-have a presence in local venues and handing out planning commission applications to get members of underserved communities involved
-use community ambassadors to help spread the word about planning initiatives.
-link recruitment and outreach efforts onto other meetings and events
How can planners increase diversity in the planning process
be very proactive, go out and recruit, pay people to attend meetings, use community ambassadors, have a presence in a local grocery store, use recruiters
What APA planning divisions exist to increase the diversity in urban planning?
-Women and Planning Division
-Latinos and Planning Division
-LGBTQ and Planning Division
-Planning and the Black Community Division
What is the first step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 1: define the scope of your project
-what decision will be made?
-what roles will stakeholders play?
-what are your timelines?
What is the 2nd step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 2: understand your limitations
-establish constraints and available resources at the outset
Commonly: (1) topics or decisions that are off-limits to discussion, (2) things that are out of the scope of the planning process, (3) decisions that have already been made, (4) budget, (5) timeline, (6) staff time, legislative/jurisdictional barriers
Know these because the public will ask you about these limitations and you want to have a clear, well-thought out answer to them
What is the 3rd step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 3: Identify stakeholders
-who will be most affected by the scope of your project?
-who needs to support it? to get it implemented
Who are some stakeholders that might need to be engaged in step 3 of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
-those most impacted by the project/plan
-residents
-decision-makers
-business owners
-employees
-special interest groups
-low-income
-low-education
-immigrant communities
-physically disabled
What is the 4th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 4: create objectives
-start at the end and work backwards. what is the best possible outcome?
What is the 5th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 5: choose metrics and targets
simple, easily tracked
create quantifiable metrics that you can monitor throughout the engagement process
how are you going to measure yourself and your success? and TRACK IT
What is the 6th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 6: Create a project timeline
lay out a timeline with milestones and dates tied into your project metrics
give yourself enough time to build buzz and momentum in the community and give yourself time to process data in between steps
What is the 7th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 7: choose your channels
ways the stakeholders can get involved in the process (eg. web, mobile, kiosks… and combine the best of face-to-face) pop-up events, ipads, going to other peoples’ events/meetings, workshops, open houses
your stakeholder groups will determine which methods you use to engage them.
What is the 8th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 8: craft a promotional strategy
this often gets the least amount of attention but it gets the best results. think like an advertiser - how are you going to get the word out? publishing something on the web is not enough for success.
What is the 9th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 9: allow for flexibility
monitor engagement results early on and be prepared to adjust your strategies
take stock of who you’re hearing from and who you’re missing in the middle of the planning process then go out and target those groups to fill in the gaps
What is the 10th step of developing an effective outreach/engagement plan?
Step 10: create a post-engagement plan - how are you going to present the results to the community?
-insightful reports
-leverage infographics
-organize findings by demographic
the community wants to know how their input has impacted the results/the decisions - how will you tell them what you learned from them and how it impacted the plan.
What are the 10 steps of creating an engagement/outreach plan?
- Define your scope
- Understand your limitations
- Determine your stakeholders
4.Create objectives
5.Choose metrics and targets - Create a project timeline
- Choose your channels (engagement strategies)
- Craft a promotional strategy
- Allow for flexibility
- Create a post-engagement plan for how you’re going to share the results with the community
What is the first strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 1: Craft a compelling a brand
good brands get recognized and spread - bad brands don’t
variety of communication - develop a brand and use it repeatedely.
What is the 2nd strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 2: Create urgency to participate
let people know that there is limited time for public input - call to action.
(eg. countdown timer) you can extend the participation period
What is the 3rd strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 3: be hyper-relevant
it’s critical to connect your project with issues that are the most relevant today (eg. in the news) leverage on those stories.
What is the 4th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 4: Solicit earned media
Spend money on advertisement - reach out to media providers to give them content they can use easily (eg. create an article for tv news)
What is the 5th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 5: Leverage social media
Think about the level of engagement with your community. Key into their values and priorities.
What is the 6th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 6: Use your existing contact list
Mass email campaigns are still one of the best tactics for reaching your community. (eg. don’t put a url into the newspaper)
What is the 7th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 7: Try different calls-to-action
Use the right language in order to motivate people to participate.
“Get your free e-book” is not as passive as “submit” - it helps to make it clear what the participants will get out of it.
What are __ strategies for promoting public participation?
- Create a compelling brand
- Create urgency to participate
- Be hyper-relevant
- Solicit earned media
- Leverage social media
- Use your contact list
- Try different calls to action
What is the 8th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 8: Offer incentives
have prizes and rewards for participating.
ask community businesses to donate prizes
What is the 9th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 9: Leverage community groups
They will help you get the word out (eg. MCC) those groups are already familiar/trusted by the participants.
What is the 10th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 10: use many different outlets
don’t just use one: radio, news, bloggers, website
What is the 11th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 11: make it easy to share
one-click share buttons are helpful
What is the 12th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 12: Keep up the momentum, after doing outreach at the start of the campaign, do 2 or 3 more pushes.
not just about advertising at the beginning.
What is the 13th strategy for promoting public participation?
Strategy 13: Raise the bar high
Concrete goals lead to real results. Report back to people - “we’ve heard from 1,500 people, help us reach 2,000”
What are two of the most important strategies for promoting public participation?
(1) branding and (2) calls to action
What makes for a good brand?
- CLARITY - communicate the value to people. Highlight what your plan offers (eg. Evernote’s “Remember Everything.”)
- EMOTION - create a gut response that will drive/motivate/compel people to get involved in the solution
- UNIQUENESS - cut through the clutter
- RELEVANCE - craft your brand and strategy around your community
- VOICE - create a consistent brand voice - what personality does your project have (serious, playful, confident) create the right tone.
Good brands are compelling enough to spread on their own.
Messaging/Calls to Action
identify your stakeholders/participants demographics to understand how best to engage them (eg. young people vs. elderly) and use their language
NOT: download, submit, buy now:
YES: get your free e-book, add to cart (save 25%)
make calls to action as bold as possible. leaving a lot of space space on a page and then one bold call to action in the center draws people in.
The more value and relevance you can convey in call-to-action, the more people will participate.
Leveraging Social Networks to Increase Engagement:
know which social media is the most used by various demographics/audiences
- Facebook has the largest audience so it’s critical to public involvement
- Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram: more visual based - helpful if you have a visual element to your engagement campaign
- LinkedIn - more for a business community - effective for engaging stakeholder audiences that are professionals
Social media is an amplification tool for content. Focus on quality not quantity - NO CLUTTER!
Create a content calendar to schedule posts in advance and know the peak times for posts.
Should you advertising to boost reach?
Yes, you only pay if people click on it.
What is a share kit?
A marketing kit!
Perhaps it includes a few sample tweets or includes a short, medium, and long blog post - people can cut and post and help you get the word out.
It’s a 3-4 page document that you can share with different community groups.
It motivates people because it makes sharing easy.
Who are the vulnerable and disadvantaged?
People who are challenging to engage and reach.
-low-income (limited access)
-physically disabled (impaired vision/hearing or mobility)
-low education (limited understanding)
-immigrants (other languages)
-isolated/disconnected
-busy people (limited time)
What do you need to engage the vulnerable and disadvantaged?
Listen early and try to reflect their needs and priorities in the language you’re using.
Understand what their immediate priorities are, how they express them, and understand why they should engage.
Why should you create a campaign that combines online and face-to-face strategies for engagement (a diversity of approaches)?
So that people find the way to engage that is comfortable for them (more participation this way).
Aim for a __ minute participation experience.
5 minutes!
Keep the participation need short so that people don’t feel resistant to completing a 2 hour survey with a million questions.
What is the best way to educate people while engaging them?
Weave in education - provide context and information for questions that are being asked. to reduce intimidation.
However, use visuals to convey the message - less reading! don’t be text heavy.
Planners should build trust by _________.
Being honest. Be straight-forward and use plain language free of jargon.
Although social media has been around for 10 years, there is a lack of case law about how to use social media for municipalities and public entities. One rule of thumb is that planners should not __________________.
do not automatically delete a negative comment
__________ public engagement practices — whether in person or virtual — so stakeholders always know what to expect and feel more comfortable about participating.
Standardize
What is a design charrette and when is it useful?
A design charrette is an intensive collaborative effort that brings together citizens, stakeholders, and staff to develop a detailed design plan for a specific area. A charrette may be held over one or more days. Typically, small groups are formed, with each group focusing on a design solution for an area. Each group has a facilitator who is usually a design professional.
Charrettes are an effective technique for quickly developing consensus.
What is the Nominal Group Technique and the 4 steps of this technique?
The Nominal Group Technique is a group process involving
1. problem identification,
2. solution generation, and
3. decision making that can be used for groups of any size that want to come to a decision by vote.
Steps:
1. Every group member shares their ideas.
2. Someone creates a list of ideas. Duplicate solutions are deleted.
3. Participants rank the solutions. The rankings are then discussed, which can lead to further ideas or combinations of ideas.
4. The solution with the highest ranking is selected.
What is the Delphi Method/Technique?
The Delphi Method was created in 1944 for the U.S. Army Air Force. A panel of selected, informed citizens and stakeholders are asked to complete a series of questionnaires.
After each round of questioning, feedback on the responses is presented to the group anonymously.
Participants are encouraged to revise their answers based on the replies heard. Over time, the range of answers decreases and the group converges towards a single solution.
Delphi replaces direct confrontation and debate with a carefully planned, orderly program of sequential discussions.
What is the Nominal Group Technique good for?
used in brainstorming - Given the tight time pressure and the desire for a consensus, the best choice is the Nominal Group Technique which allows everyone to share their ideas, but quickly come to an agreement on a solution.
It is good if you are working together to solve a problem and there is no consensus on what is the best approach to solving it. It is good if you want a fast solution that the neighborhood can agree on to show immediate progress in resolving the problem.
It allows for everyone’s opinions to be considered by starting with every group member sharing their ideas briefly.
particular form of brainstorming that aids team participation. Stages in the technique include problem clarification, silent idea generation, round robin idea collection, grouping, and ranking.
What is Facilitation?
Facilitation uses a person who does not have a direct stake in the outcome of a meeting to help groups that disagree work together to solve complex problems and come to a consensus.
The facilitator is typically a volunteer from the community who is respected by all groups. In some cases, a professional facilitator is hired to assist in running the meeting.
Which of the following are appropriate tasks for facilitators?
Responsibilities include:
I. Record issues and whatever solutions are presented during the facilitation
II. Group issues and solutions together as needed to facilitate discussion
Facilitators DO NOT present the range of alternatives to be addressed for each issue or suggest potential solutions that best address an issue. Their role is to record (or possibly group together) issues and solutions. They should not be put in charge of presenting issues or suggesting possible solutions. Either of those tasks could introduce bias on the part of the facilitator.
What is Mediation?
Mediation is a method in which a neutral 3rd party facilitates discussion in a structured multi-stage process to help parties reach a satisfactory agreement.
The mediator assists the parties in identifying and articulating their interests and priorities. The agreement typically specifies measurable, achievable, and realistic solutions.
Mediation is a dispute-resolution process that is typically used to help resolve conflict without involving the court system.
What is a Public Hearing?
These meetings allow formal citizen input at the END of the planning process. Public hearings are often mandated by law.
A public hearing is usually associated with the Planning Commission, City Council, or other governing body.
A public hearing includes a technical presentation, group Q&A, and a formal transcript.
A public hearing is more formal and delineated than other public meetings.
Hearings are considered ineffective at building public participation and consensus.
What is a Visual Preference Survey and when is it best used?
A visual preference survey is a technique that can be used to assist citizens in evaluating physical images of natural and built environments.
Citizens are asked to view and evaluate a wide variety of pictures depicting houses, sites, building styles, streetscapes, etc.
Aggregated scores can be used to determine resident preferences.
Best used to obtain public feedback on new design guidelines.
Who created the Visual Preference Survey?
Anton (Tony) Nelessen in the 1970s
What is Brainstorming and what is it used for?
Brainstorming is an informal approach to gathering input in the initial stages of a project, or in trying to determine goals.
Brainstorming usually occurs within a small internal group setting, such as planning staff, agency leads, or commission members.
- What do our agencies want to accomplish together?
- What measurable improvements will we be able to identify if we are successful in working together?
What is a Coffee Klatch?
A coffee klatch is an informal gathering at a neighbor’s house.
What are Planning Cells and what are they used for?
A planning cell is a randomly-selected, diverse group of participants who collaborate on developing solutions to a given issue and report the resulting recommendations to decision-makers.
Planning cells are a method for deliberation planning cells aim to “improve the efficiency of decision-making in the planning process, and to offer new possibilities of political participation by the citizen.”
What are two reasons that the evaluation of the community engagement process is important?
Evaluation is used for learning and accountability.
In drafting a neighborhood plan, what is the most efficient and effective way to ensure that the interests of all groups have been addressed?
Conduct focus group meetings in the neighborhood to discuss plan concepts and issues prior to drafting the plan.
A request for a rezoning has been submitted to allow for a medical waste disposal facility in a low-income neighborhood in the community. You are aware this will be a controversial rezoning. Which of the following would be the best course of action?
Host a neighborhood meeting allowing community members to learn about the project in advance of a public hearing.
For a complicated and controversial zoning case it can be wise to hold community meetings in advance of any public hearing to allow the community to learn about the proposed project. This meeting would include both the property owner or developer as well as neighborhood residents.
At the end of your women’s social club meeting, a member approaches you with concerns about the proposed expansion of the regional mall, which her neighborhood group wants to stop. You listen to the woman’s concerns, but you are aware that her neighborhood was built after the mall was in place.
Initially, what should you do to respond to her concerns?
Providing her with public information is okay.
Connect her with the developer on Monday so that she can obtain more information about the project.
Which of these is not an evaluation design option for assessing the effectiveness and lessons learned from community engagement?
-Ripple Effect Mapping (REM)
-Outcome
-Impact
-Process
Ripple Effect Mapping is a method used in evaluation, not a form of evaluation design.
What is the primary question that outcome evaluation answers in the community engagement process?
To what extent are people in the community engaged?
The question that outcome evaluation answers because it assesses the change resulting from community engagement without seeking a causal explanation (impact).
What are the 2 main questions that process evaluation answers about the planning and implementation phases of community engagement?
I. To what extent has the process of community engagement been inclusive?
II. To what extent do the planners represent the community?
What is the primary question that impact evaluation answers in the community engagement process?
To what extent can community change be attributed to community engagement?
Impact evaluation focuses on causality.
An ideal public meeting considers school and work hours, location accessibility, language barriers, and…
I. means of present and future communication
II. literacy challenges
III. remote technologies
ALL of the listed concerns can influence the accessibility and attendance of the meetings as well as the meeting’s efficacy and potential to involve community members after the fact.
Which of these is not required for impact evaluation of community engagement?
a.Random assignment of participants
b.Use of an intervention group
c.Use of a control group
d.Creation of a visual map
Creation of a visual map - that’s for REM evaluation.
You are leading a visioning process early on in the planning process to encourage citizen involvement and you want to encourage everyone in the community to participate. To have a highly successful visioning process which of the following is critical?
a.Media involvement
b.Child care for participants
c.Surveys people can complete
d.Staff buy-in
MEDIA INVOLVEMENT
The key phrases here are “encourage citizen involvement” and “everyone in the community” – meaning this is about making the reach as broad as possible. Media involvement will be critical for getting the word out and encouraging inclusive participation.
The benefits of a participatory approach include which:
I. Promoting buy-in to the evaluation
II. Empowering participants as it facilitates building evaluation capacity within the community
III. Collecting key data around community engagement
IV. Creating space to obtain input from all participants
I. Promoting buy-in to the evaluation
II. Empowering participants as it facilitates building evaluation capacity within the community
IV. Creating space to obtain input from all participants
NOT COLLECTING KEY DATA - While collecting data is an important method of evaluating the participatory approach, it is not a benefit of the participatory approach overall.
What is the Landmarks Law
NYC’s Landmarks Preservation Law (Landmarks Law)
upheld by the Supreme court in the Grand Central Terminal case
What is Sovereign Immunity?
refers to the fact that the government cannot be sued without its consent
Sovereign immunity is used as a means of protecting the government from having to alter its policies any time a person takes issue with them
Munn v. Illinois
14th amendment (due process) case
Illinois regulated grain warehouse and elevator rates by establishing maximum rates for their use.
the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the power of government to regulate private industries.
Argued that the states may regulate the use of private property “when such regulation becomes necessary for the public good.” Waite resurrected an ancient legal doctrine to support his view: “When property is affected with a public interest, it ceases to be juris privati only.”
Keystone Bituminous Coal Association v. DeBenedictis
a takings case - 5th amendment
PA Dept. of Environmental Resources Act prevented coal miners from removing more than 50% of coal from mines located beneath buildings.
The Keystone Bituminous Coal Association, a group of miners, complained that the Act created a “support estate” that effectively took away its property without compensation.
The court ruled that the state did NOT violate the Takings Clause by forcing coal mining companies to keep certain amounts of coal in underground mines in order to support structures on the surface.
the Court found a valid public purpose behind the present Act and determined the Act would not make it impossible for the miners to profitably conduct business.
When should process evaluation be conducted in the community engagement process?
At the beginning and throughout
Process evaluation involves collecting data on the various factors of the planning and implementation phases (frequency/content of meetings, diversity, inclusion, etc.), so it must be collected from the start of the planning process and then throughout.
What is an Appreciative Inquiry Summit?
a large group planning, designing, or implementation meeting that brings a whole system of internal and external stakeholders of an organization or a community and engages them in an elaborate four-phase process of collectively and systematically rediscovering their strengths, life-giving qualities and aspirations.
An AI Summit is designed to flow through the Appreciative Inquiry 4-D Process of Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny.
The potential uses of AI Summit are: organization development; strategic planning; public policy formulation; community development; and conflict resolution.
What is Multi-Attribute Utility Analysis?
In decision theory, a person has to decide between multiple options. The decision is based on the attributes of the options.
a multi-attribute utility function is used to represent the preferences of an agent over bundles of goods either under conditions of certainty about the results of any potential choice, or under conditions of uncertainty. This function defines the decision maker’s preferred attribute values and the tradeoffs between different attributes.
What is a Samoan Circle?
A leaderless form of meeting that stimulates active participation.
The Samoan Circle meeting process is designed to facilitate the discussion of controversial issues when there is a large group of people interested in the topic.
A professional facilitator explains the process and gets involved if necessary.
designed to permit interaction that occurs in small groups but can be witnessed by a larger group. The meeting is set up with an inner circle of five to six chairs. The rest of the chairs are set up in concentric outer circles. Initially, everyone is seated in the outer circles. People who wish to speak move to the inner circle. Once they speak they return to their original seat. The discussion continues as long as there are participants who wish to speak.
BEST if you know there is going to be substantial interest from the public and that you will have large numbers of people attending, but you want to design the meeting to allow for a small group experience.
When is it best to use a Samoan Circle?
BEST if you know there is going to be substantial interest from the public and that you will have large numbers of people attending, but you want to design the meeting to allow for a small group experience.
You are a planner who works in settings where there are low literacy levels. You devise a participation plan calling for the use of which technique?
SARAR stands for Self-esteem, Associative strength, Resourcefulness, Action planning, and Responsibility. This is a series of techniques designed to be highly visual and accessible to those who cannot read or write. Examples, include pocket charts, three pile sorting, and picture stories with gaps.
What is CommunityViz used for?
What is UrbanSim used for?
What is groupware?
Slack, Zoom, etc…
software designed to facilitate collective working by a number of different users
Groupware for conferencing allows people to communicate with each other in real time even if they are not in the same physical space. This includes chat tools like Slack, video call apps like Zoom and Webex, or apps like Microsoft Teams that do both.
What is SARAR and when is it best used?
Self-Esteem
Associative Strength
Resourcefulness
Action Planning
Responsiblity
Highly visual planning engagement tool best for population with low literacy levels.
What is Future Search?
a principle-based PLANNING MEETING that helps people transform their capability for action very quickly. The meeting is task-focused.
a unique planning method that enables large, diverse groups to validate a common mission, take responsibility for action, and develop commitment to implementation. The meeting is task-focused.
Reflect on past and present. You can create a mind map, vote on the preferred solutions, and then a summary is presented. Then you discuss the different trends that were presented. You look at how things are currently trending and how everyone wants them to trend in the future. Visualize the higher position. Formulates a common vision.
It brings together 60 to 100 people in one room or hundreds in parallel rooms. They meet for 20 hours spread across three days. People tell stories about their past, present and desired future. Through dialogue they discover their common ground. Only then do they make concrete action plans.
What can Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, and a Blog be used for in the comprehensive planning process?
Twitter and Facebook can be used to keep people informed as the process proceeds.
Flickr and Instagram can be used to share images taken by staff and the public of the community.
A blog can be used to provide information about the issues that are being considered as part of the plan.
Which principles of the AICP Code of Ethics would you cite as benefits of social media?
I. Increase public understanding of planning activities.
II. Give people the opportunity to have meaningful impact on development.
IV. Provide timely, adequate, clear and accurate information on planning issues.
Ensure that there is training for citizens on planning matters is not an aspirational principle in the code.
What statement defines spatial justice as it relates to social justice:
How our cities are organized has a significant bearing on whether people have access to what they need.
What are the 3 Cs of public engagement/participation?
- Coalition Building
- Consensus Building
- Conflict Resolution
What is a Beneficiary Assessment?
a participatory technique used to ensure that project beneficiaries can provide insights on how the project will affect them.
Beneficiary assessments are used by the World Bank and other development organizations to make sure that project beneficiaries can provide insights on how a project will affect them, particularly the poor and those without political power. The technique solicits qualitative information about the development activity. This can include interviews, focus groups, and participant observations.
What is an Advisory Plebiscite?
A Plebiscite is a direct vote on an issue.
The City Council wants to get a read on the community to determine whether the public would support a bond initiative. Which of the following techniques would be most effective in getting a read on how the public might vote?
What is community policing about?
Community policing is increasingly seen as an effective strategy in crime prevention. The goal is for police officers to build ties and partnerships and work closely with members of the community. Using plain-clothes officers is likely to be counter-productive to building such relationships.
Community policing is about building local ties; plain-clothes officers might conflict with that goal
What is computer-aided negotiation?
Computer-Aided Negotiation allows for models to be quickly developed and allows participants to search for alternatives that can best meet the needs of interested parties.
having a computer aid to better manage cognitively complex issues, even a relatively simple one, reduces participants’ counterfactual thoughts about better possible outcomes.
Eg. STELLA software
What is the software STELLA?
web-based modeling tool for dynamic modeling, policy analysis, and strategy development
STELLA is an example of Computer-Aided Negotiation allows for models to be quickly developed and allows participants to search for alternatives that can best meet the needs of interested parties.
What is the fishbowl method?
a method of arranging small group conversations.
Fishbowl Planning can be described as a process that involves citizens working through proposals in a workshop format.
a strategy for organizing medium- to large-group discussions. Students are separated into an inner and outer circle. In the inner circle or fishbowl, students have a discussion; students in the outer circle listen to the discussion and take notes.
The advantage of fishbowl is that it allows the entire group to participate in a conversation. Several people can join the discussion. Participation in discussion is open to all members at any time.
suitable for large groups
What is the primacy effect and limited primacy effect?
Primacy effect describes the tendency to choose earlier answers in a list of elaborated options. When provided with a list of responses in a closed-ended survey question, respondents are more likely to choose earlier options, potentially creating a disconnect between respondents’ true beliefs and their chosen answers.
Therefore, the primacy effect would not be limited in a closed-ended survey.
What are 3 pros of using a closed-ended survey (vs. an open-ended survey)?
-increased response specificity
-easily summarized data
-typically higher response rates
A CON: primacy effect - given that a list of responses is provided, respondents may choose earlier answers in the list.
What should good open-ended survey questions do (and not do)?
Open-ended questions should ask for specific recommendations to specific questions or scenarios.
DO NOT ASK:
-Questions that address two problems,
-Questions that ask for people to describe difficult to communicate values and morals
-Questions with unnecessarily complicated phrasings are not appropriate for surveys.
Telephone surveys provide quick data collection and they are cheap, but have what limitation?
May have interviewer bias.
Bias can be introduced whenever the surveyor needs to interpret responses. It is not possible to see the respondent’s facial expressions and so the surveyor might interpret certain responses in unintended ways.
Telephone surveys are more expensive than mail surveys and online surveys, but they are not considered “prohibitively expensive.”
Response rates have been declining, but the sample will be statistically valid if set up correctly.
Which of the following is not a component of a successful a charrette process?
a.The participation of elected officials
b.A clearly defined problem
c.The participation of a licensed architect
d.Consistent participation
The participation of elected officials in a charrette is apparently actually more important than the participation of a licensed architect.
It is not necessary to have a licensed architect as part of a charrette process. Charrette processes do typically involve design professionals, citizens, public officials etc. However, it is not necessary to have a licensed architect.
A charrette is best used for…
a visible design project that will impact people’s lives.
A charrette is an intense, short-term workshop that strives to design a land use planning project or envision a solution to a planning problem. Charrettes are best for uniting multiple stakeholders in close collaboration on a distinct project that people will interact with often, such as a public park or transportation station or system.
Which of the following is the best way to resolve a conflict in the community?
Consensus building (aka collaborative problem solving)
Community consensus building is essentially mediation of a conflict which involves many parties. Usually, the conflict also involves multiple, complex issues. While consensus building is probably most often used in environmental disputes, it is applicable to many other kinds of public policy disputes as well as the community, state, and international levels.
Mediation is more for individuals.
Your organization has been contracted to help determine community preferences regarding a new zoning reform effort. You have already conducted a mail survey, and the survey response rate was sufficient. While the survey provided generalized information, you need to gain more comprehensive understanding. What would be the most effective approach?
Interview neighborhood organizations
NOT a public hearing (that is for the end of the planning process).
What is an open house good for?
An open house is looser in structure and does not involve a formal presentation but a series of loose presentations or information displays with one-on-one Q&As between members of the planning department and interested residents.
What is an educational event?
An educational event also includes an informational display and a presentation by the Planning Department to educate the public about a specific topic, but because the goal is education rather than gauging public opinion, there is less dialogue between planners and residents.
When preparing for a contentious public meeting, planners should…
personally invite advocates and vocal residents to the meeting to build goodwill.
Planners have a responsibility to build and maintain trust and goodwill in the communities they serve, but it is also important to keep public meetings controlled. The other choices risk derailing planning meetings, but the correct choice emphasizes the importance of community members without allowing them complete control of the meeting.
The visioning process allows for early citizen involvement, impartial leadership, all inclusive citizen participation, and…
heavy media involvement
What is the purpose of a steering committee and who should be on it?
You want to involve citizens from the beginning of the planning process. You plan to develop a steering committee that will help guide the planning process.
-Property owners
-Business professionals
-Residents of low income housing
A comprehensive plan should engage a wide array of stakeholders.
What are the principles of authentic engagement?
-Authentic engagement is connected to change.
-Authentic engagement is equitable and inclusive.
-Authentic engagement is connected to decision-making.
What are the 3 essential ingredients for a design charrette?
- A specific planning problem
- A group of interested citizens
- Professional experts to facilitate the charrette - a facilitator (professionals who can be from both inside and/or outside the community)
What is and is not visioning?
Visioning does NOT look at any of the existing opportunities or constraints in the community. It is a projection of what is desired.
Visioning does NOT require extensive data collection.
It is different from planning’s tradition of public meeting goal setting because the goals are typically based on what already exists in the community.
Visioning is a simple projection of what the community desires.
What is the deliberative polling process?
What is citizen jury?
A method of public participation that is EMPOWERING
What factors contribute to the breakdown of public participation?
-Endless, unproductive meetings.
-Lack of trust.
-Opposing views.
What are the results of visioning?
-A community vision statement.
-Grounded discussions and decisions when devising land use criteria and resulting policies.
-Improved communication developed within the community.
-A consensus about the values of different community groups.
-Shared goals that align with community priorities.
-A greater sense of belonging and trust with residents.
You are a planning manager for a transportation agency looking for ways to get feedback from the public on a proposed change to the city’s bus routes. Which of the following would not be effective for getting public feedback?
NOT a large public event.
Large public events are often not effective for getting community input.
Use instead:
-Feedback from digital communications
-Phone interviews
-Mailed surveys with postage-paid return envelopes
Which is the most common technique used to resolve conflict?
Feedback and compromise
The five key elements of planning for diverse communities are:
economic opportunity, transportation & access, housing affordability, health & safety, and placemaking
As the manager of the long-range planning division of a community in Maryland, you have been asked to organize the citizen participation process for a comprehensive plan update. Which of the following would be most effective to kick off the process?
Town Hall Meeting - because it is used to identify key issues
A public hearing is appropriate at the end rather than the beginning of a process. An open house and focus groups can be most helpful after the project has been initiated.
There has been a vocal group of opponents of a bond initiative at recent council meetings. The mayor is concerned the ballot initiative may not pass. What would best be used by the planning department to gauge the level of support or opposition to the bond?
Review the Twitter timeline to get a mix of voices already talking about the bond initiative.
A facebook fan page would only attract those in support.
You are preparing a memo to the city manager about what will be involved in a planned community visioning process. Which of the following would you include:
I. Public Participation
II. Fiscal Impact Analysis
III. Alternative Futures
IV. Environmental impact methodologies
I. Public Participation
III. Alternative Futures
Community visioning is a participatory planning process that seeks to describe an agreed-upon desired future for a community. To do this, citizens and stakeholders are actively engaged in discussions and exercises about alternative futures. Visioning exercises help communities begin to consciously create a future by advancing a shared sense of purpose.
Which of the following are NOT true of visioning?
a. It is a long-range planning process.
b.It involves key stakeholders.
c.It is a simple process that can be completed quickly.
d.It involves citizens early in the planning process.
Visioning is NOT a simple process that cna be completed quickly. It is a long-range planning process.
Who should be included in a visioning process?
-Professional planners
-Neighborhood organizations
-Local property owners
Visioning can include a wide range of stakeholders.
