Public Outreach

Question 1

Public participation is used to

Answer 1

Actively involve communities in the design process
Provide a platform for citizens to offer input, thereby improving plans, decision-making, and services related to the built environment
Facilitate dialogue between public and private interests
Provide transparency in decision-making

Question 2

Goals

Answer 2

general statements of intent for the overall design OR universal principles that do not change from project to project

Question 3

Objectives

Answer 3

are specific statements that suggest how goals are going to be accomplished and are thus more action-oriented OR project-specific outcomes or results

Question 4

Foundation for public participation

Answer 4

Identify the individuals or groups (i.e., stakeholders) that should be involved in the public participation process
Decide where in the process the participants should be involved (from development to implementation to evaluation)
Communicate the participation objectives to all participants
Identify the methods and resources necessary to accomplish the objectives
Select an appropriate method to achieve each objective (noting that these methods can all be the same if appropriate)
Initiate participation activities
Evaluate methods and activities to determine if they achieved the desired goals and objectives

Question 5

Group activities

Answer 5

Developing project goals
Determining performance targets
Integrating the input of team members and the public
Diagramming the overall design process
Creating feedback loops at each design phase, encouraging exploration
Providing for additional time (buffer) in the project schedule.

Question 6

Benefits of public participation

Answer 6

Engaging stakeholders
Creating an atmosphere of mutual respect
Creating a forum for meaningful discussion
Embracing a diversity of viewpoints
Sharing and receiving information
Incorporating public feedback into the design project
Saving time and money through all of the above (in short, mitigating conflict

Question 7

Stakeholders

Answer 7

Members of the public
Special interest groups
Government agencies
Elected officials

Question 8

Stakeholder criteria

Answer 8

Are directly impacted by an issue or project
Have jurisdiction or control over something relevant to the project
Possess specialist knowledge related to the project
Directly represent or are connected to influential social/community networks

Question 9

Snowball

Answer 9

this strategy can be used to compliment any of the three options outlined above and entails bringing together an initial group of stakeholders and inviting these stakeholders to identify additional parties that should be incorporated into the public participation process. Depending upon the scope of participation required by the project/landscape architect, this process can be repeated, such that parties invited by the initial visioning session are themselves asked to identify additional stakeholders.

Question 10

Self nomination

Answer 10

somewhat imprecise and open-ended strategy in which invitations are sent to a wide range of potential stakeholders, and any interested parties decide to attend the public outreach events

Question 11

Selection committee

Answer 11

a committee established for the express purpose of selecting stakeholders. Although it requires dedicating additional time and resources to the selection process, this strategy can be effective for complex or politically sensitive projects.

Question 12

Covener picked

Answer 12

the most common choice, in which the convener, or person/party organizing the public participation process (often the landscape architect) selects the relevant stakeholders

Question 13

Formula for survey distribution

Answer 13

Sample size ÷ anticipated response rate = total surveys to be distributed

Question 14

Best surveys contain

Answer 14

They are preceded by pre-notification
Contain clear, non-technical language
Have a well-delineated purpose clearly stated in an introduction
Are concise and make use of graphics as needed
Are not overly difficult or time-consuming for the participant

Question 15

Visual preference survey

Answer 15

generally address the scale, massing, articulation and placement of buildings, as well as streetscapes, open space/parks and transportation issues

Question 16

Questioners

Answer 16

Questionnaires are a self-administered survey technique, and they allow respondents to complete the survey at a time of their choosing and with the benefit of relative anonymity.

Question 17

Interviews

Answer 17

a sequence of (scripted or unscripted) questions led by an interviewer. Because they are based on direct human interaction, interviews have the potential to be more flexible, both by introducing unscripted follow-up questions and by allowing the interviewer to skip specific questions if desired.

Question 18

Components of needs assessment

Answer 18

Identification of target population for the study. Data for needs assessments may also be collected through site visits, as well as through quantitative techniques, including mapping and calculations to determine a specific level of service (e.g., frequency of a specific amenity per 1,000 inhabitants)
Determining which survey techniques to use in the study
Developing content for public meetings and surveys
Collecting data through meetings and surveys
Interpreting data and making a summary of the findings

Question 19

Post occupancy evaluation

Answer 19

used to determine if the built design meets the needs of the owner and site users. As such, the POE can provide the design team with valuable feedback and help them understand what aspects of their design were successful, how well the project meets the needs of its users and what aspects could be improved in the future, as well as providing data and conclusions that can be applied to design guidelines

Question 20

Visioning can be enacted through

Answer 20

multiple activities, including task forces, surveys, focus groups and workshops.

Question 21

Visioning should

Answer 21

Reflect core community values
Draw from the whole of the community
Address emerging issues or trends
Promote local action
Envision a preferred future

Question 22

Successful focus groups include

Answer 22

Invitations to focus group participants
Transportation to the meeting site
Audio and video recording equipment
Facilitator with script and core themes
Presentation materials/visual aids
Refreshments
Release forms
Transcript of focus group discussion (produced after the event concludes)

Question 23

Charettes work best when

Answer 23

Are genuinely collaborative
Consider holistic solutions
Incorporate considerations across multiple disciplines
Compress work sessions into short periods of time
Consider the project across multiple scales/levels of detail
Produce feasible plans and actionable feedback
Take place on or near the project site

Question 24

Public meetings; informational

Answer 24

his meeting type is used to disseminate information to the public and receive limited feedback. Informational meetings can be formal in character (involving timed presentations and a scripted order of events) or they can take on a more organic, informal character (e.g., a planning official meeting at a public library with a local community group).

Question 25

Public hearing

Answer 25

Often classified as a type of informational meeting, public hearings follow specific rules and procedures defined by law. Public hearings are typically convened by a planning or development review committee and are often used to review, approve/deny or provide specific information related to a proposed design project. Opportunities for public comments and feedback are typically limited, as public hearings are typically used as a forum for government officials or other public representatives to share information or make a decision related to the government’s regulatory powers

Question 26

Advisory meetings

Answer 26

Advisory meetings are used to share information, but they differ from informational meetings in that they provide the public with a greater opportunity to interact with public officials and/or other decision makers. Like informational meetings, advisory meetings begin with a presentation, but—unlike informational meetings—they are followed by an extended period of open, but structured dialogue.

Question 27

Workshops

Answer 27

Workshops are facilitator-led events intended for relatively small groups of participants (typically 8-10 people) and are used to discuss a specific subject or issue. Workshops emphasize dialogue, and the facilitator is often tasked with taking notes or otherwise summarizing the workshop so that this information can be shared with decision makers

Question 28

Open house

Answer 28

Characterized by their flexible scheduling and long duration, open houses are a relatively unstructured forum for public staff and/or decision makers to listen and actively engage with the public. Presentations may take place in side rooms, and surveys may also be conducted during an open house. In addition to being used to share information with the public, open houses are often used to generate positive relationships with the public, and they can act as a foundation for increasing public participation in other, more formal meetings

Question 29

Problem solving meetings

Answer 29

A relatively uncommon style of meeting, problem-solving meetings are used to present technical information to the public, with this presentation followed by a moderated discussion. Unlike other meeting styles, problem-solving meetings typically request that the public formulate a recommendation that will directly influence the decision-making process

Question 30

When presenting to the public be aware:

Answer 30

The public often has difficulty understanding plan-view drawings, as well as general technical drawings (e.g., construction details)
Photographs and photo-realistic perspective renderings are the most effective way to communicate visual information to a generalist audience
Technical and specialist language should be avoided whenever possible, as it is difficult for most people to understand
When using graphics and other visual aids, ensure that they are written in clear language and that information is shown at a size such that it is legible by all members of the audience
No single presentation style fits all situations. Choose the best format to meet your objectives

Question 31

When communicating with graphics: message

Answer 31

In short, what message is the graphic is trying to communicate and was this message received by its intended audience.

Question 32

When communicating with graphics: medium

Answer 32

Clarity is achieved by simplifying the message and by omitting extraneous information. Therefore, what is the correct type of graphic needed to communicate the intended message.

Question 33

When communicating with graphics: audience

Answer 33

Project graphics should help orient and inform the intended audience, and an audience’s expertise and familiarity with planning and design should determine what—and how—project information is conveyed. This often requires emphasizing the most important information and omitting less important and potentially distracting information.

Question 34

When communicating with graphics: setting

Answer 34

Setting should be considered when preparing and organizing graphic information. If a presentation will occur in a large meeting room, graphics should likely be projected onto a large screen. In a smaller setting, printed drawings mounted on foam-core presentation boards may be more appropriate and, therefore, effective

Question 35

When cmmunicating with graphics: time

Answer 35

The amount of time available to prepare and present the graphic materials can help determine what graphic techniques are most appropriate. Although graphics should always be as simple and clear as possible, if the audience has the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with the work, then more detailed information can be conveyed.