government 2.0 new strategies for engaging the public
TRANSCRIPT
Government 2.0: New Strategies for Engaging the Public
How are cities leveraging the web to engage the public in local government decisions? Explore how cities are strengthening democracy and promoting more effective local government by using 2.0 technologies.
LMC conference innovation LabsDuring these facilitated small group discussions you’ll identify key issues, consider challenges and how to overcome them, and offer ideas for how the approach could be replicated by all types of cities.
Hat #1:Griff Wigley, the citizen
LocallyGrownNorthfield.org
Consulting project:Edina Citizen Engagement
EdinaCitizenEngagement.org
Small group discussion
Tell your group a story about a recent experience (good or bad) with online public engagement• Website• Online survey• Blog, web forum, webinar, live chat• Twitter, Facebook• Etc.
The Connected Community:Local Governments as Partners in Citizen
Engagement & Community Building
Overview: Citizen Engagement, Why & How?
James Svara and Janet Denhardt, Arizona State University, in cooperation with the Alliance for Innovation (Link)
Why citizen engagement?Right thing to do
• “Citizens can be defined as people who have a concern for the larger community in addition to their own interests and are willing to assume personal responsibility for what goes on in their neighborhoods and communities. So, building citizenship is about inculcating a way of thinking and acting that is characterized by openness to opposing ideas, collaboration, and sense of responsibility to others.
• It is hard to have citizen engagement without a sense of community, and it is hard to fashion a sense of community without citizen engagement.”
Why citizen engagement?Smart thing to do
“We should work to increase citizen involvement because local governments cannot solve community problems alone. The complexity of the problems facing local government demands citizen involvement and acceptance, if not cooperation. Citizens often have information that officials need in order to design a sound program. Further, citizens expect the opportunity to participate and may resist the implementation of plans they have not helped design.”
Citizen engagement is not:
• Selling the public on…• Getting votes for…• Convincing the public to…• A meeting to complain/find fault with • A process where staff controls the outcome• Something that happens at council meetings• An alternative to representative gov’t
Public Involvement Spectrum in Local Governance
Public Involvement Spectrum in Local Governance
• Policy making: annual budget, economic development, environment, housing, long range planning
• Service delivery: potholes, mowing, plowing, licenses & permits, park maintenance
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making - Exchanges
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making – Exchanges to Inform
• Meeting minutes• Reports, fact sheets• Open houses• Web pages• Blog posts, tweets• Media interviews• Presentations, panels• Videos
“Provide the public with balanced and
objective information to assist them in
understanding the problem, alternatives, opportunities, and/or
solutions.”
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making – Exchanges to Consult
• Public hearings• Focus groups• Meeting Q&A• Open mic• Email & phone• Surveys/polls• Comment forms
“Receive and respond to resident comments,
requests, and complaints. Obtain public feedback on
analysis, alternatives, and/or decisions.”
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making
Exchange of info vs Engagement
“These efforts require a great deal of creativity, energy and commitment to succeed. But the effort appears to be worth it: research has shown that effective citizen engagement can foster a sense of community, engender trust, enhance creative problem solving, and even increase the likelihood that citizens will support financial investments in community projects.
In any of their interactions with citizens, local governments should look for the opportunity to encourage engagement rather than simply seeking an exchange of information.”
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making - Engagement
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making – Engagement to Include
• Workshops• Deliberative polling• Blog comment threads• Q&A - presentations• Q&A – webinars• Interaction captured• Interaction published
“Work directly with citizens throughout
the process to ensure that public concerns and aspirations are
consistently understood and
considered by staff.”
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making – Engagement to Collaborate
• Citizen advisory group• Citizen task force• Consensus-building• Participatory decisions• Interactive surveys• Interaction captured• Interaction published
“Partner with citizens in each aspect of the decision including the
identification of issues, development of
alternatives, choice of the preferred solution, and implementation.”
Public Involvement Spectrum:Policy Making – Engagement to Empower
• Citizen juries• Ballots• Delegated decisions• Interaction captured• Interaction published
“Place final decision-making authority or
problem-solving responsibility in the hands of citizens.”
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
EdinaCitizensEngagement.org/Grandview
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Photos of every meeting posted to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
All Powerpoint presentations, PDFs, & printed charts posted to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
All promotional and public information activities (posters, newspaper stories, meeting notices, etc) posted to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
The authentic voice of the project leaders, posting to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Video archive of all relevant City Council and Planning Commission meetings posted to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Live webinar, alternative to public meeting. Recorded & posted to the blog.
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Public comments from face-to-face meetings captured and posted to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Time-limited blog comment discussions, with participation by project leaders, & moderated for civility
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Audio of contentious neighborhood meeting, captured and posted to the blog
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Every blog post tweeted and posted to Facebook; weekly email subscriptionoption; RSS feed
Edina Citizen Engagement:Grandview District – Project blog
Result: unanimous approval by the Planning Commission and City Council
Small group discussion
• Pros and cons of this type of engagement• Hurdles to replication– Skills/knowledge– Costs
• Questions
