Public Participation Flashcards
Public Participation in a digital age
Public participation is increasingly digital. A Planning Magazine article suggests these tips for making digital engagement equitable
- 81 percent of Americans have smartphones-digitial outreach should be mobile app compatible. Provide mobile hotspots to supplement internet serviecs
- Standardize public engagement practice-whether in person or virtual- so stakeholders always know what to expect and feel more comfortable about participating.
- Feedback from digital communications is often taken less seriously; planners should overcome this bias
- In virtual meetings, provide live translation
- Phone interviews and mailed surveys with postage-paid return envelopes are still useful feedback options.
Outreach Issues
about 27% of adults do not have broadband at home, and 9% of US residents (over the age of 5) have limited English. Another 19% can not read a newspaper (Sight impairment and other issues)
Design Charrette
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. This is an effective technique for quickly developing consensus.
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. In many cases, the local chapter of the American Institute for Architects may be engaged to have members serve as facilitators. Note that charrettes are now being offered virtually, with significant success in terms of increasing the number of participants.
The Delphi Method (Delphi Techinique)
A structured process of public participation with the intent of coming to a consensus decision. The Delphi Method was created in 1944 for the US Army Air Force. A panel of selected, informed citizens and stakeholders are asked to complete a series of questionnaires. The questions are typically written as hypotheses. 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 converged towards a single solution.
The Nominal Group Technique
a group process involving problem identification, solution generation, and decision making that can be used for groups of any size that want to come to a decision by vote. The Nominal Group technique allows for everyone’s opinions to be considered by starting with every group member sharing their ideas briefly. Someone creates a list of ideas. Duplicate solutions are deleted. Participants then rank the solutions. The rankings are then discussed, which can lead to further ideas or combinations of ideas. The solution with the highest ranking is selected.
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 meetings.
Mediation
A method in which a neutral third 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. The final agreement is typically in writing. A mediation is a dispute-resolution process that is typically used to help resolve conflict without involving the court system.
Public Hearing
usually associated with the Planning Commission, City Council, or other governing body. These meetings allow formal citizen input at the end of the planning process. Public hearings are often mandated by law. Hearings are considered ineffective at building participation and consensus.
Visual Preference Survey
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.
Brainstorming
an informal approach to gathering input in the intitial stages of a project, or in trying to determine goals. Brainstorming usually occurs within a small interneal group setting, such as planning staff, agency leads, or commission members.
Coffee Klatch
an informal gathering at a neighbor’s house
Planning Cell
a randomly-selected group of participants who collaborate on developing solutions to a given issue.
