201 - There's No App for That: Putting "The Public" Back in Public Consultation

October 06, 2021

11:30AM - 12:30PM

Round Table

Close your eyes and imagine your last public meeting. Think about whether the audience was representative of what the larger community looks and sounds like, of the age and circumstances having the most to gain or lose regarding the issue or matter — put another way, representative of the past, current, or future needs and opportunities.
 
Before planners “do public consultation” and identify which tools and strategies to use, it is critical to identify who “the public” actually is or should be for a particular issue or project. People or groups typically attending public meetings, whether in-person or virtually since the pandemic, are rarely if at all fully representative of the larger public or broader public interests.
 
Using technology and other digital engagement tactics to engage people is important but only when planners first understand who to engage. Using data and new technologies, planners can increase their social-geographic analysis and better inform whom, where and how to engage.
 
This interactive session is led by Indigenous consultation specialists, engagement specialists, user-researchers, planners, and transportation planning experts and is designed to acknowledge the challenges that planners face in implementing consultation programs and to share strategies and tools to:
 
Help identify and connect with those people and groups who are not typically engaged in a particular issue or matter, but should be;
Help create better conditions for wider and deeper discussions, resulting in unique and valuable insights;
Explore how engagement with Indigenous Peoples can go beyond the land acknowledgement at the beginning of each meeting; and
Explore consultation tactics to target various audiences and issues (whether virtual, in-person, or otherwise).
 

Speakers