PlaceVision’s approach to public engagement is based on the philosophy that information should be easily distributed and received so that citizens can understand it, respond to it, and measure their influence.
Government-to-citizen applications are very popular right now because citizens desire two-way communication in real-time. We believe it is imperative for planners to capitalize on applications that facilitate citizen comments and feedback in order to gain traction in their outreach activities. We also believe that applications should be introduced throughout the planning process, just as the right tool is chosen for the right job, to keep planning fun. Familiar tools such as social media and Google Earth should be used.
Communications Strategy
A blueprint for successful communication.
Our communications strategy starts with a solid website foundation for up-to-date content dissemination, then we introduce website tools throughout the process to tell a story, communicate, and solicit feedback. The website is a key hub for your project to be utilized throughout the planning process and for plan implementation to track success and share resources.
Project Website
Citizens can follow along and interact on their schedule.
The initial step will be to construct a website and corresponding components with the following:
- WordPress technology, an open source platform for content management
- Website design and branding
- Social media integration such as Facebook, Twitter, and Slideshare
- Multiple stakeholder blogs
- Subscribe via email, RSS, and through social media
- Image galleries and document libraries
- Informative pages and FAQs
Citizen Engagement Applications
Make urban planning fun!
Once the website foundation has been created, we introduce applications to generate interest and engage citizens.
We will integrate the following types of citizen engagement applications:
- Idea generation
- Place-based comments on a map
- Photo sharing vision board
For instance, citizens can place their comments on a map about specific strengths and weaknesses of their community using a proprietary Google map application called Community Remarks™. This application runs on the website and helps planners consolidate citizen feedback in real-time. This tool can also be utilized in public meetings in break out sessions where comments are added to the website at each table. A screen projection of the application shows the comments collected in the meeting to visualize specific areas of interest. These comments can be saved and exported to GIS for future use. This application also enables us to consolidate and view place-based comments submitted to popular third party applications such as See Click Fix. The objective is to utilize all the online resources available to view citizen interests and issues in the region.
Scenario Visualization
Answer key questions clearly.
Scenario visualization can be accomplished through a variety of interactive channels; key factors of scenario visualization include setting priorities, enabling citizens to see how those priorities play out at the local and regional scale, and understand the impacts of key choices.
Scenario visualization components include:
- Integration of CommunityViz® outputs and webshots
- Identification and ordering of priorities
- Storytelling through narrative
A combination of narrative and graphics will be used to tell a variety of local-based stories. For example, a scenario could cycle through the transportation, housing, employment, and recreational activities related to a family in the region and illustrate how those activities might be different (better or worse) in the future given a set of variables. Each story would be unique and based on actual demographic profiles. The narrative will be presented with the capability to explore the future by turning on and off layers of graphics and corresponding data. Rather than expecting a user to understand complicated maps and charts, the page will explain and illustrate various outcomes to help illuminate implications over time. This format will appeal to the largest audience, translate technical data into a tangible framework and be the user-friendliest.
Plan Components
User-friendly maps are awesome.
Once the plan’s key components are summarized, we utilize Google Earth and Maps to showcase interactive summaries on layered maps. This tool effectively consolidates complex information into a user-friendly environment to make it easy to understand and explore. It can also be leveraged throughout the implementation process to track progress, make notes, and share GIS content with stakeholders and planners.
Plan Implementation
Keep it going.
Rather than discarding the site and tools once the plan has been created, they can be leveraged for implementation purposes. The website should continue to be used as the central hub of project information and implementation. For example, the site will continue to serve as the source of news to its audience. It will house a document and GIS library, implementation schedule, and task list. Google Earth can be leveraged by county planners to coordinate and share location-based information, files, and data.
