Guides and Toolboxes

Public Participation Toolbox () - International Association for Public Participation - Concise overview of techniques, advantages and disadvantages, 2000-2004.
Public Participation Spectrum () - International Association for Public Participation, 2007.
Strategies for Reconnecting Citizens and Government, MRSC Focus, June 2001 - This MRSC Focus paper summarizes the information and materials on MRSC's Effective Communication/Citizen Involvement webpages.
Governments are from Saturn...Citizens are from Jupiter: Strategies for Reconnecting Citizens and Government, MRSC, 1998 - Innovative approaches and examples.
Innovations in Public Involvement for Transportation Planning, prepared by Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 1994 - Good overviews of participation techniques, advantages, drawbacks and costs.
Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decision-Making, FHA, 1996.
URP Toolbox Alphabetical Tool List, Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia - Profiles 63 types of participatory processes such as citizen juries, deliberative opinion polls, focus groups, and more traditional public meetings. Includes advantages and disadvantages, appropriate uses and other information.
Putting the People into Planning: A Primer on Public Participation in Planning, University of Oregon Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management - Although Oregon-oriented, provides useful "how-to" information.
SeaTac, WA - Creating a Sense of Value: Building Citizen Commitment - Course materials and very useful tips, AWC Workshop PowerPoint presentation by John Daly, March 14, 2001.
Public Deliberation: A Manager's Guide to Citizen Engagement (), Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer and Lars Hasselblad Torres, IBM Center for the Business of Government, 2006 - New report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government documents a range of tools and techniques to increase two-way communication and citizens’ involvement in communities and government.
Shaping the Tools of Re-Invention: Good Citizens, Better Communities by Dave Davis, President, Initiatives, Local Government Commission copyright, 2004 - Brief overview of several useful techniques.
Talking in Public About Growth and Development, Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, revised October 2006 - Values-based communications frame for smart growth - Advice, checklists, and pointers which are based on nationwide focus group research, media analysis, and follow-up work with advocates and policymakers.
Communicating Smart Growth Report (), Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, August 2004.
Civic Participation and Smart Growth: Improving How Communities and Places Grow and Change, Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, updated 2007.
Fostering Dialogue Across Divides: A Nuts and Bolts Guide from the Public Conversations Project (), Maggie Herzig and Laura Chasin, 2006 – Clearly written guide to using techniques that foster dialog to increase mutual understanding and make possible collaborative action on divisive issues.