Using Technology for
Citizen Outreach and Engagement
in Urban Planning

We've been experimenting with these tools at the National Capital Planning Commission, and we'll be leading a discussion at the 2012 APA National Planning Conference about how planners and planning agencies can use technologies to engage citizens in the planning process. We hope you can join us!

	William Herbig		Christian Madera

Planning Outreach and Engagement e-Toolkit

Note: This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the tools and techniques that are available. Have an example or tool you think we should add? Please let us know.

Getting the message out

NCPC sends out a monthly email newsletter that provides
updates on the agency's work and initiatives.

Email
You can’t beat the convenience, speed and cost of communicating with citizens via email. By using an email list manager, you can let people subscribe to receive updates about any particular interest – be it a proposed project, a specific neighborhood, or a topic of interest.  Just make sure that you try to send updates on a regular basis.

Examples:

• National Capital Planning Commission
• City of Baltimore, MD Planning Department
• New York City Department of City Planning

Tips and Resources:

• You can use Mailchimp.com to send emails to up to 2,000 subscribers absolutely free.
• Make sure to add a link to your list signup form to all your communications.
• Email effectiveness is all about the "subject" line. Make sure it catches people's attention.

Blogs/Tumblr
Don’t have an easy way to update your website without help from the IT department? A blog could be the answer. A blog is easy to setup and update, and best of all, free! A great way to get anything posted online in a quick and easy manner.

Examples:

• Freshkills Park Blog, New York, NY
• Atlanta Regional Commission
• New York City Economic Development Corporation

Tips and Resources:

• WordPress and Blogger offer free hosting for blogs. Tumblr is another free blogging service with additional social media features. All of these allow you to customize your blog's design.

Photos
Planning concepts are inherently visual. Posting photos, drawings and renderings online can communicate the ideas behind plans and projects better than any written report. Fortunately, it’s easy to post images on the web at no cost using sites like Flickr, Facebook, Tumblr, or Pintrest.

Examples:

• City of Cincinnati Economic Development Department (Flickr)
• City of Cincinnati Community Development Department (Facebook)
• Urbnism + Optimism (Tumblr)

Tips and Resources:

• Encourage staff and the public to contribute photos from their mobile phone.
• Sites like Flickr allow you to embed a photo gallery on your website or blog.

TransportMichgan created a music video to encourage
citizens to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact
report for a proposed light rail link in Detroit.

Video
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then just imagine what a video can do when it comes to communicating ideas. Thankfully, creating videos has never been easier. With camera enabled smartphones and simple editing software, there’s nothing holding you back except your creativity. Plus, once you’ve posted your video online, they can easily be embedded anywhere (like a blog) to get more exposure.

Examples:

• Comments on Woodward Avenue Detroit Light Rail Alternatives
• Falmouth, Maine Comprehensive Plan
• Understanding Plan Review (National Capital Planning Commission Plan)

Tips and Resources:

• YouTube and Vimeo offer free video hosting, and allow your video to be embedded on any website. They also provide insights into how many people have watched your video.
• You can edit videos using inexpensive or free standard software (Live Movie Maker on Windows 7, iMovie on Mac OS X). You can also upload videos direct from your mobile phone to YouTube and use their free online editor.

The Houston Planning and Development Department's
Facebook page.

Facebook
With over half the US population on this social network, there’s no excuse for not having a Facebook presence. Feel free to create a page not only for your agency, but for a particular project too.  Facebook users can like your page to get updates, and also comment online. An added bonus is that any comments are submitted with people’s real names.

Examples:

• Montgomery County, MD Planning Department
• National Capital Planning Commission
• Houston, TX Planning and Development Department

Tips and Resources:

• Make sure you post regularly (once a day is ideal).
• Post photos and plan documents to your Facebook page so that people have a reason to visit.

Twitter
What can you say in 140 characters? More than you think.  This popular platform is great for up to the minute updates from a meeting or hearing. It’s also an opportunity for public agencies to show their more “human” side by engaging in conversations with residents.

Examples:

• City of Phoenix, AZ Planning Department
• Providence, RI Planning Department
• National Capital Planning Commission

A developer uses SMS messages to build community
support for a proposed development.

SMS/Text messaging
When using technology for outreach, it’s important to recognize that not everyone has access to the web. However, there are other technologies that can help bridge the digital divide. SMS text messaging has a high adoption rate among minority and low-income groups. Plus, for many young people, text messages are the mobile communication method of choice. Beyond sending information out (upcoming meeting notices or commenting deadlines for example), you can use SMS to collect feedback as well.

Examples:

• Navigate Hollywood
• Give a Minute Chicago
• City of Baltimore, MD Planning and Transportation Departments

Tips and Resources:

• Tatango, TextMarks, ZeepMobile and Twilio provide services to create, manage and send SMS messages to a list of subscribers.

Collecting Feedback

Imagine Bloomington used Google Docs to create this
online survey

Surveys
Need to gather feedback from the public? The web makes collecting responses to a survey a lot easier.

Examples:

• City of Orlando, FL Walkabout Survey
• Imagine Bloomington (Indiana)
• City of San Antonio, TX Neighborhod Stakeholder Survey
• Southhampton, NY Community Benefits Survey
  

Tips and Resources:

• SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, Polldaddy and Google Docs are all free tools that you can use to create online surveys.

Live SMS Polling
Beyond a standard survey, you can collect responses to simple poll questions via SMS. This is ideal for instant feedback during meetings, or for allowing the public to respond to question at a particular site. Plus, creating a poll question is a great way to get people to sign up to receive regular text messages.

Tips and Resources:

• Poll Everywhere, TextTheMob and iVoted offer a basic SMS polling service for free.

NCPC used IdeaScale to create a feedback and idea forum
for its Southwest Ecodistrict Initative.

Idea Forums
Often the best ideas for what should happen in a community comes from the residents themselves. Idea forums allow people to add their suggestions, and vote and comment on the ideas posted by others, helping you see which ideas have the most support.

Examples:

• Imagine Bloomington (Indiana)
• NCPC Southwest Ecodistrict Idea Forum
• City of Geneva, IL Geographic Information Systems
  

Tips and Resources:

• Uservoice, IdeaScale, MindMixer and All Our Ideas