The Institute for Local Government developed a comprehensive
public engagement framework to support and assist local
governments with designing and executing land use and housing
planning. The framework consists of five pillars for successful
community engagement: Think, Initiate, Engage, Review and
Shift. Local leaders can use this framework for the entire
planning process. This framework streamlines public engagement
efforts. Each pillar contains the necessary steps a local
government needs to consider. Ultimately, there is not one right
way or wrong way to engage your community around housing.
However, there are better techniques to use given the unique set
of staff resources, financial constraints and political realities
of your agency. The public engagement outcomes will depend on the
desired level of public input. The full framework, templates and
additional resources can be accessed here.
Gaining a firm understanding of the vision residents have for
your community is a strong starting point for understanding the
basis of the specific concerns that may raise. Proposals that
resonate with this vision may gain support. Proposals that appear
to clash with the community’s dreams may be met with skepticism,
hostility, or opposition.
Sometimes the vision is explicit. There may be a vision statement
already established in a general plan, community plan or other
local planning document that reflects the community’s hopes for
the future. This can provide a useful benchmark for determining
whether a particular proposal is appropriate and what specific
issues it may raise.
In other cases there may be no formal vision statement, yet
community members may be working in many ways to create a better
future. They may volunteer in the school or cultivate a community
garden. Some may work to slow down local traffic or form a
neighborhood watch group to reduce crime. Others may raise funds
to save an historic building or organize a neighborhood street
fair. All of these activities provide insights into the vision
that people have for their community and the issues they consider
important.
Using a robust public engagement approach like TIERS to engage
your community early and authentically around projects like a
General Plan update, development of a Specific Plan, updates to
zoning ordinances, and large-scale project proposals will not
only help you understand the community’s vision, but will go a
long way to building trust and strengthen relationships with
residents. These relationships may help ease implementation,
reducing the amount of opposition when specific housing projects
are proposed, saving you time and money.
And while all planning efforts do not require this comprehensive
of a process, elements of this approach may help inform an
overall strategy about how to inform and implement a variety of
housing and other related projects.
Role of the Elected Official in Public Engagement
While most public engagement efforts are implemented by local
government staff, elected officials play an important role in the
process. Elected officials can:
- Identify decisions that will benefit from public engagement
- Respect and support governance models that include members of
the public in decision-making
- Promote and encourage public participation in engagement
opportunities
- When appropriate, attend and observe public engagement
activities
- Review and consider public input as part of the
decision-making process
- Support staff efforts to increase the capacity of employees
to advance public engagement competencies
Choosing the Right Approach
While the framework below can be adapted to most processes and
subject topics, it may not always be feasible to conduct this
level of engagement. If your timeline, budget and/or staff
capacity is limited there are still strategies you can use to
boost the effectiveness of engagement activities. For
example:
- Use a mix of online and in-person engagement methods – even
if it is just posting information on your website and/or
including it in a newsletter.
- Seek out community events and workshop to attend/share
information.
- Identify key members of your community/trusted stakeholders
that you have strong relationships with who can help deliver your
message.
- Hold “coffee” meetings with key stakeholders/community
leaders to gather input.
If you are holding a public meeting/workshop consider the
following options to increase engagement:
- Have people sit at round tables rather than rows
- Use “softball” question to start the meeting (what do you
like about living in x?)
- Bring the microphone to people instead of having them queue
at a stationary mic
- Set up informational stations instead of a standard
lecture/presentations
- Keep presentations short, and vary your speakers
- Ask for comments or opinions instead of asking questions
- Provide 3×5 cards on the table for participants who may not
be comfortable speaking aloud
The key to more successful engagement is to be clear about your
public engagement goal and who you are trying to reach, be clear
about your timeline, budget and staffing capacity and then plan
your public engagement efforts accordingly.
