Approaches for Obtaining Citizen Feedback

Introduction
Variations on the Public Meeting Theme
Effective Meetings
Citizen Participation in Developing a Vision
Community Image/Visual Preference Surveys
Citizen Surveys
Charrettes
Using Technology to Facilitate Feedback
Recommended Articles
Related MRSC Pages
- Advisory Boards, Commission, Committees

Introduction

Local government officials are, with few exceptions, committed to serving citizen's interests and providing high quality, efficient government services. Yet there is much evidence that citizens do not feel that they are being heard or that government is addressing their priority needs. It is increasingly difficult for local government officials to stay in touch with citizens in growing and diverse communities. A rapidly changing world means that traditional approaches for gathering feedback may be less effective today. Formal public hearings have their place, but they can be intimidating. Such hearings may not be the best way to encourage comment from a wide cross-section of community residents and may not fit into citizens' busy schedules. Citizens must have ample opportunity for participation, but an endless series of public meetings can result in citizen burn-out, and a reluctance to participate in the future. Local governments are trying new approaches to make it easier for citizens to express their opinions and for local officials to understand citizen needs. Opportunities for face-to-face exchanges will facilitate understanding and a balancing of diverse interests. Scheduling convenient times and providing comfortable settings will encourage participation. Finally, citizens must feel that their concerns have been acknowledged and will truly be considered, rather than feel that they have been manipulated or co-opted.

Variations on the Public Meeting Theme

Spokane, WA - Meeting in a Box (), June-July, 1996 - The ultimate in comfort and convenience - a unique, and award-winning self-guided growth management plan workshop designed to be held in living rooms, community clubs or whenever and wherever convenient!
Port Townsend, WA - Port Townsend 2020: Getting Together () - 1993 AWC Municipal Achievement Award winner for "Innovative Public Involvement Techniques," - coffee and growth management in informal settings.
Redmond, WA - Citizen's Guide to Community Forum () - Provides opportunity for an ongoing dialog between the city and its citizens on a range of issues in a small group format.
Jefferson County, WA - Open House Series and Road Show Series to update citizens on Shoreline Master Plan progress - Impressive series of community outreach meetings around the county. Each drop-in open house event featured poster displays, a repeating slideshow, an interactive digital mapping station, and a comment form. Earlier road show meetings included audience participation activities.
Mountlake Terrace, WA - Town Center planning public meeting series - The city won a Citizen Involvement Award from the Washington State Chapter of the American Planning Association to recognize a process that included citywide mailings and twenty public events, such as community roundtables, design workshops, visual preference survey, developer/business forum, and hearings.
Sammamish, WA - Bus tour of other town centers followed by public design workshop - Members of the Town Center Committee, Planning Commission, City Council and the community at large took a bus tour of nearby town centers recently to gain some perspective on the challenge of creating a city center in Sammamish.
Federal Highway Administration Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decision-Making: Small Group Discussion Techniques.
Central Issaquah, WA - Plan Workshop Materials - Workshop presentations followed by small group discussions about the future of the Central Issaquah area.
Redmond, WA - Summary of Focus Group Meetings () - Overlake Neighborhood Plan, April 2006.
Seattle, WA - Small Group Interviews (Focus Groups) () - Transit station planning, June 1998.
Oakland, CA - Small Group Meetings, Oak to Ninth Street Project (scroll to Public Outreach Process - small group meetings materials).
North Bethany,OR - Concept Plan Design Workshop (), Washington County, OR - Open House with "walk-around" time, and small group table discussions of issue areas, 2007.
Portland, OR
- Cully Park Master Plan Design Workshop Summary Report () - Small group discussions to identify priorities for park facilities, 11/07.
- Connecting Everyone to the Portland Plan - Involving multicultural groups in comprehensive plan development, and the Portland Plan.
Seattle, WA - Neighborhood Plan Update Community Workshops, 2009 - Forty-one workshops sought input from 16 traditionally underrepresented groups including seniors, youth, disabled persons, and various ethnic groups.
Participatory Land Use Mapping, Local Government Commission - Exercise to involve citizens in exploring local and regional land use planning issues.
Newark, NJ - Summer Halsey Street Block Parties, 2010 - City uses block parties as part of a pilot program designed to promote the revitalization of key retail and mixed-use corridors throughout Newark.
Port Angeles, WA - Farmer's Market - Opportunity for citizens to visit with City Council at their table at the Farmers' Market on the first Saturday of each month.
Snoqualmie, WA - Town Hall Meeting & Root Beer Float Social - Participants use handheld voting devices to register opinions on park safety and infrastructure issues.
Santa Clara, CA - City Hall Open House - Fun events and information booths to inform the public about city and community services and encourage participation.
Bellevue, WA - Crossroads Mini City Hall - Program to bring city hall services to a convenient shopping mall and outlying neighborhoods.
Redmond, WA - Overlake Parking Management Plan Best Practices Presentation ( 10 MB), February 23-25, 2009. See also alternative scenario presentations.
Reinventing the Public Meeting, Next American City, April 28, 2010 - Virtual meetings and videoconferencing provide citizens the opportunity to participate more conveniently.
Seattle, WA - Virtual Meeting: How is Your Neighborhood Doing?
Kalamazoo, MI - Virtual Master Plan Public Meeting.
Planning Public Forums: Questions to Guide Local Officials, Terry Amsler, Institute for Local Government, 2007.

Effective Meetings

How to Lead Effective Meetings, Office of Quality Improvement, University of Wisconsin - Madison - Brief, but very useful articles, tools and templates e.g for meeting agendas, best practices, meeting problem help. See especially the more comprehensive University of Wisconsin publication: Facilitator Tool Kit: A Guide for Helping Groups Get Results (), Edited by Nancy Thayer-Hart, 2007.
Successful Meetings - A brief but very useful Fact Sheet from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Be a "Meeting Hero" - A Guide to Conducting Better Meetings (), Kevin Richie, Alaska Municipal League.
Meeting Management - Links to a series of useful articles including: "Ten Characters You'll Meet at a Business Meeting," "Icebreakers," "Facilitation Basics," About.com Website.
Make Meetings Work - Meeting Wizard - A commercial website with useful, briefs on topics such as chairing a meeting, taking minutes, and icebreakers, Also highlights some available publications.
Planning and Conducting Effective Public Meetings, Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet No. CDFS-1555-02 - Succinct fact sheet includes suggestions for building relationships in advance of a meeting and conducting contentious meetings.
Meetings and More - Series of excellent articles on successful public meetings available for purchase from Planning Commissioners Journal.
Meeting Great Expectations: Dealing With Emotional Audiences, Western City Magazine, October 2009.
Dealing with an Angry Public, Debra Stein, Planning Commissioners Journal, #37, Winter 2000 (available for purchase from PCJ or on loan from MRSC).
Dealing With Difficult Participants: 127 Practical Strategies for Minimizing Resistance, by Bob Pike and David Arch, APA, 1997 - Describes different types of people who disrupt meetings and strategies for handling (available for purchase from APA or on loan from MRSC).
Effective Meeting Facilitation: The Sine Qua Non of Planning, by Miranda Duncan National Endowment for the Arts.
Facilitation 101, Edward S. (Ned) Ruete, and Magic of the Facilitator, Brian Stanfield, International Association of Facilitators - Useful guides from a professional association.
Facilitator Toolkit A Guide for Helping Groups Get Results, Office of Quality Improvement, University of Wisconsin - Madison, September 2007.
Facilitation: Guiding an event through to a successful conclusion, MindTools.com - Good overview, useful tips and a facilitator's toolbox.
Group Facilitation Primer (), Tree Bresson - Very useful and clear discussion of roles, guiding principles, methods, and dealing with conflicts.
Basic Facilitation Skills (), published by: The Human Leadership and Development Division of the American Society for Quality, The Association for Quality and Participation, and The International Association of Facilitators, May 2002.
A Quick Reference Guide for Facilitators, Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs - This factsheet includes a description of a number of useful facilitation techniques.

Citizen Participation in Developing Community Vision

Using Visioning in a comprehensive Planning Process (), Anne Haines, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension.
Building Our Future: A Guide to Community Visioning (), Gary Green, Anne Haines, & Stephen Halebsky , University of Wisconsin Department of Rural Sociology - A comprehensive and useful guide, although not specifically for parks planning.
Chapter 5: Phase II: Community Visioning, from Preparing a Master Plan for Your Community (), Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission - Includes description of Oregon Visioning Model.
Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook (), National Civic League, 2000.
Planning for the Future: A Handbook on Community Visioning, 3rd ed., The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, An agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, 2006?
Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives . . . Oh My!, University of Maine, Cooperative Extension.
Goal Setting: A Preparation Packet (), League of Oregon Cities.
Snoqualmie, WA
- Downtown Vision Plan ( 11 MB), 2005, and Downtown Master Plan, Snoqualmie, April 2010 - Governor's 2010 Smart Vision Award.
- City Visioning Workshops and Speakers Forums, 2030 - The Next Generation Comprehensive Plan update, June 2010.
Spokane, WA - Charting the Future: The Plan for a New Downtown - 2004 All-America City Award from The National Civic League; 1999 Planning Association of Washington Award for citizen participation. Introduction () (participation process) and Vision and Concept ().
Skykomish, WA - Vision 2110.
Grays Harbor, WA - 2020 Vision and Action Plan: Building a Sustainable Grays Harbor - Governor's 2010 Smart Communities Merit Award.
Lynnwood, WA - Visioning Lynnwood - Includes link to Our Community Interim Vision Report (), 2009.
Shoreline, WA - Visioning Process and 2029 Vision Statement.
Mountlake, WA - A Vision for the Mountlake Terrace Town Center.
Redmond Comprehensive Plan - Goals, Vision, and Framework Policies ().
Kenmore, WA - 20-year Vision Statement (), Final Comprehensive Plan, Amended 2006 - Includes vision statement and describes process including public workshops with small group discussions, community visual preference workshops, and community wide survey.
Bellevue, WA - Bellevue's Bel-Red Subarea Plan PowerPoint () presentation about subarea plan vision, January 2010, and Bel-Red Subarea Plan ( 11 MB).
Jefferson County Shoreline Charrette Primer (), November 2006.
Chula Vista, CA
- Economic Development, Environment, Open Space and Sustainable Development, Infrastructure & Services (), Chula Vista (CA) General Plan Update Steering Committee, 2003 - Draft visions and goals.
- Vision 2020 - General Plan Update Award-Winning Video.
Portland, OR
- Vision into Action - Massive effort that involved over 17,000 Portlanders in creating a vision for the city's future, 2010.
- Parks 2020 Vision.
Hillsboro, OR - Vision 2020 - multiple award-winning program. Also see PAS Memo 10/02.
St. Louis Park, MN - Vision - Guidelines for a Successful Vision Interview.
City of Sumner, WA - Vision Statement.
Kirkland, WA - Vision Statement, 2010 - Vision statement and framework developed through the comprehensive planning process.
Burien, WA - City Vision.
Sammamish, WA - Vision Statement, adopted September 25, 2003.
City of Covington, WA - Vision Statement- Concise statement captuirng Covington's vision.
Camas Parks and Recreation - Vision Statement.

Community Image/Visual Preference Surveys

Local Government Commission Community Image Survey - Good explanation of this tool for helping citizens visualize choices about community appearance.
Snapshots of a Community's Preferences, by Jeff Schommer, and Visualization Tools, The Charrette Center
Wahkiakum County, WA - Visual Preference Survey - Rural Character.
Clark County, WA - Highway 99 Visual Preference Survey ().
Seattle, WA - Northgate 5th Avenue Streetscape Visual Preference Survey Highlights (), 07/01, and Visual Preference Survey Results ().
City of Mukilteo, WA - Downtown Business District Subarea Plan Visual Preference Survey () - Results Summary, 2008.
Shoreline, WA - Town Center Visual Preference Survey - Linked through the city's Facebook webpage.
Chelan County, WA - Downtown Master Plan Visual Preference Survey (), 2009.
Redmond, WA - Visual Preference Survey - Overlake Urban Center Concept Plan, Appendix C.
Sammamish, WA - Town Center Plan - Visual Preference Survey Results, Makers Architecture and Urban Design, 2006.
Bremerton, WA - Manette Subarea Plan, Visual Preference Survey ().
City of Orlando, FL - Visual Preference Survey () - Explains and illustrates Orlando's survey.
Ft. Collins, CO - Visual Preference Survey - Explains methodolgy and illustrates survey results.

Citizen Surveys

Fairfax County, VA - Common Pitfalls in Conducting a Survey (), April 2003.
Best Practices for Survey and Public Opinion Research, American Association for Public Opinion Research.
Survey Best Practices, Shannon Thorn, Berkeley Computing & Communications, Volume 11, Number 4, Fall 2001, The Regents of the University of California.
Best Practices in Survey Design (), Shelley Strowman, Pottruck Technology Resource Center, Simmons College, 2004.
On Gauging Public Opinion (), Elaine Cogan, Planning Commissioners Journal, Spring 2005.
What Type of Survey is Best? Carolyn Browne, MRSC Focus.
city of Vancouver, WA - Strategic Assessment Survey (), 2007 - Surveys livability factors, satisfaction with government services, challenges and funding.
Sammamish, WA
- Survey of Community Opinion Final Report (), 2005 - Telephone survey of citizen satisfaction and issues affecting future direction.
- The Town Center Bus Rolls Again (), City Views @ Sammamish (Newsletter), 2006 - Bus tour of neighboring cities helps citizen committee members visualize town center types and city design issues.
Bellevue, WA - Citizen Outreach and Performance - Includes performance measures survey, budget survey, and Citizen Forum Report, 2006.
City of Bellingham (WA)Opinion Surveying – Biennial service priorities and citizen satisfaction surveys.
City of Spokane Valley, WA - Community Preference Survey, 2004 - Survey gathered representative community input on a variety of planning-related issues.
Redmond, WA - Results from Communications Survey () - Looks at the effectiveness of newsletter, web and cable TV communication approaches.
Kirkland, WA - Survey: Citizen Opinions of City and City Government Services (), 01/10.
Arlington, WA - 2010 Citizens Survey Results () - Note Question 6 - Best information sources for reaching citizens: Arlington Update, then newspapers then website.
King County, WA - Public Survey Findings: Shoreline Master Program Update, 2010.
Durham, NC - Comprehensive customer satisfaction surveys.
Richfield, WI - 2025 Comprehensive Planning Community Opinion Survey (), 2004 - Interesting example of survey from small city in rural county.
Online Citizen Surveys - Examples of mini online surveys polling citizens on various issues.

Charrettes

Charrettes offer a particularly promising tool for engaging citizens in planning and design processes. Charrettes bring together citizen and stakeholder groups with a team design professionals and other experts in intense, creative work sessions over a short time period. They can kick start a planning or design process and lay the foundation for the ultimate plan or project design. Ideally, charrettes provide a climate that stimulates an exchange of ideas, information, and opinions about needs and solutions. The information exchange serves to educate participants about the needs of other groups, design challenges and the pros and cons of many options. The process promotes consensus-building toward a common vision. The process harnesses the talents and energy of design professionals (as well as citizen participants) to help participants visualize alternatives and to recommend design solutions.

Charrette Center - Includes definition, case studies, explanation of charrette process, and visualization tools.
National Charrette Institute - Offers Webinar and in-house training sessions, and other training resurces.
An Introduction to Charrettes () by Bill Lennertz and Aarin Lutzenhiser, Planning Commissioner's Journal, Summer 2008, and Planning Commissioner's Journal Charrette Resources Webpage.
The Neighborhood Charrette Handbook () - Defines and explains what a charrette is and what it can accomplish; Describes a three-stage process.
What is a Charrette? - Three minute You-Tube video defining charrettes and describing their use, National Charrette Institute. Also video of a charrette in process.
The Charrette as an Agent for Change - Article By Bill Lennertz, for New Urbanism: Comprehensive Report & Best Practices Guide, 3rd Ed., 2003. Provides brief, useful description, including nine priciples.
Squamish, BC - Charrette, May 2005 - Community workshops were held first to develop goals, objectives, design guidelines and instructions for the charrette team. The charrette team of design professionals and community stakeholders then illustrate design options and develop plan concepts.
Portland OR - The River Plan / North Reach Site Design Workshops - Design and development experts, property owners and agency staff will convene for three days to craft and critique concepts for the future expansion of industrial sites along the North Reach of the Willamette River.
Sammamish, WA
- East Lake Sammamish Parkway Project Design Charrette Flyer () - Invitation and Description of process, and Design Charrette Summary (), June 22-23, 2005.
- Sammamish Town Center Charrette Invitation, and Sammamish Town Center Design Charrette - Announcement and summary, 2009.
Bainbridge Island, WA - Winslow Tomorrow () - following an initial process to develop a plan direction, The city used a charrette to develop design alternatives for downtown Winslow, 2005; Putting our downtown vision(s) to paper - Bainbridge Island Review article about charrette, March 16, 2005; and Winslow Tomorrow Comment Exercises ().
City of Snohomish, WA - Mixed Use Subarea Plan ( 11 MB) - Public Realm Charrette presentation, 2009.
Redmond, WA - Overlake Design Charrette (), Charrette Agenda (), and Goals and Issues Map Exercise ().
AIA Design Assistance Team Planning Processes.
- Sustainable Design Assessment Teams (SDAT).
- Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) Program.
- Guemes Island, WA - Sub Area Planning Process PowerPoint, and Guemes Island Final Report - American Institute of Architects, The Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT), 2006.
- Longview, WA - Integrating SmartGrowth and LID into the City of Longview, WA's Municipal Code, and Longview Final Report - American Institute of Architects, The Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT), 2006.

Using Technology to Facilitate Feedback

Using Special Techniques to Enhance Participation, Finding New Ways to Communicate, Federal Highway Administration - Interactive television, interactive displays and kiosks, computer presentations and simulations, and teleconferencing.
Interactive Television, Using Special Techniques to Enhance Participation, Federal Highway Administration.
Computer Simulation as a Public Participation Tool, from Participation Tools for Better Community and Land Use Planning, Local Government Commission - Computer Simulations help citizens to envision what proposed development will look like more quickly and with less faster expense than artist's renderings.
Social Media, MRSC - Webpage to technology pages
Making the Most of Social Media: 7 Lessons from Successful Cities, Chris Kingsley, Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania Arts & Sciences, 2010.
Social Media for Public Involvement Workshop (recorded) Webinar, National Charrette Institute, (Available for purchase).
Kirkland - City's Budget Blog Offers New Way for Public Comment, News Release, October 28, 2010.
- Kirkland’s Budget Blog is intended to pose topics, provide explanations and answer questions to help Kirkland residents and businesses better understand the various aspects of the City’s biennial budget. The Kirkland City Council will also use the Budget Blog to seek ideas, concerns and suggestions about the level of services being recommended, as it deliberates on the city budget.
Snoqualmie, WA - Town Hall Meeting & Root Beer Float Social, June 2010 - Participants use handheld voting devices to register opinions on park safety and infrastructure issues.
Bellevue, WA - City Performance Measures: Citizen Forum on “Vital Signs,” () May 24, 2005 - Participants used hand-held interactive polling devices to evaluate usefulness of city performance measures.
Portland, OR - Metro Build a System - Citizens may use a google map-based tool to compare transit corridor options, and provides a tutorial to use the tool.
Rockville, MD - eComment - Allows the public to submit written comments, about a council agenda item that will be distributed to the council in advance of the meeting.
Hamilton County, OH - Community Compass, ICMA Program Excellence Award for Citizen Involvement. Process included a county-wide “town meeting” during which citizens used wireless keypads and laptop computers to respond to polling questions about their level of agreement with table discussions and vision statements.
Portland, OR - Phase II of ‘Portland Plan' gets input from outer East Portland - Participants use remote-control voting devices to enter demographic information about themselves, and vote on issues.
Ft. Collins, CO - Ask the City Manager - Questions & comments will receive a quick e-mail response.
Using Information Technology to Increase Citizen Participation, MRSC News, December 2006.
Online Citizen Surveys, MRSC - Examples of mini online surveys polling citizens on various issues
Community Image/ Visual Preference Surveys, MRSC

Related MRSC Pages

Advisory Boards, Commissions and Committees