Planning Analysis:
Public Involvement

We started our discussion of public involvement/citizen participation with a question...

Community participation in planning processes is generally productive:

___ Strongly Agree
___ Agree
___ Neutral
___ Disagree
___ Strongly Disagree

Why is Citizen Involvement Important?

How can citizens get involved?

 

Indirect Involvement

Direct Involvement
Legislative decision making Partisan or non-partisan election of legislators and chief executives Initiative and referendum
  Recall of legislators and chief executives "Goals" programs and citizen participation on legislative advisory committees
Administrative decision making Partisan or non-partisan election of selected administrative officials Participation opportunities under administrative procedure acts, sunshine acts, freedom of information acts, and related statutes
  Legislative and/or executive oversight of administrative decisions Mandated citizen involvement programs

Benefits of Citizen Involvement

  • Reduces the isolation of the planner from the public
  • Provides opportunities to disseminate information
  • Helps to identify additional dimensions of inquiry and research
  • Assists in identifying alternative solutions
  • Provides legitimacy to the planning effort and political credibility of the agency
  • Increases public support
  • Helps to avoid protracted conflicts and costly delays
  • Increases the civility of the decision-making process by increasing trust in government
  • Enhances the rationality of policy decisions by revealing the patter of public preferences and by stimulating decision makers to incorporate this information explicitly in their deliberations and decisions
  • Increased sense of self-esteem and efficiency as a result of participation
  • Community as a whole may benefit as participation infuses voluntary organizations with greater vitality

Costs of Citizen Involvement

  • Time
  • Money
  • Potential political costs if the process is poorly designed or decision-makers disregard citizen input

Goals of a Successful Citizen Involvement Program

  • Increased credibility with those who will be affected
  • Identification of public concerns and values
  • To develop a consensus among the impacted parties
  • Creation of the greatest number of "unsurprised" apathetics
  • To produce better decisions
  • To enhance democratic practice
  • Minimize disparity between the planner’s and the participant’s expectations

Techniques of Public Involvement

  • Publicity
  • Public Education
  • Public Input
  • Public Interaction
  • Public Partnership

Common Mistakes in Public Involvement Processes

  • Failure to identify and involve stakeholders
  • Expectations not made clear
    •
  • Poor recruitment efforts
  • Failure to share results with participants
  • Using the wrong methods, or only one when a variety are necessary
  • Poor timing
  • Failure to abide by the "dialog"

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Citizen Involvement Programs

  • The citizen involvement goal also states that the committee for citizen involvement is responsible for assisting the governing body in evaluating citizen involvement.
  • Evaluation generally divided into two parts: one for the general public and one for participants in the planning process.
  • general public might be asked:
  1. Are you aware of the planning process, its importance and opportunities for you to participate?
  2. Has there been coverage in the media about what’s going on?
  3. Have you seen meeting notices and announcements?
  4. Are there specific reasons why you haven’t participated?
  • participants might be asked:
  1. How has the citizen involvement program been carried out?
  2. Are all citizens able to present their views and concerns?
  3. Were meeting notices effective?
  4. Has the program been effective in getting citizens involved?
  5. Are the roles and responsibilities of participants clear? Are they being fulfilled?
  • What tools can be used?
  1. Surveys
  2. Public meetings and discussions
  3. Review of minutes, notices and media coverage

Effective Citizen Involvement Programs Should...

  • Meet legal requirements
  • Clearly articulate goals and objectives
  • Command political support
  • Be an integral part of the decision-making structure
  • Receive adequate funding, staff, and time
  • Identify concerned or affected publics
  • Delineate clear roles and responsibilities for participants

You should also refer to these documents:

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This page maintained by Bob Parker, ©2002
October 21, 2003