Public Participation
New Outreach Tools Reshape the Relationship Between Citizens and Government
Driven by an explosion of online tools, cities across the country are looking beyond the traditional public hearing to rethink how to increase citizen involvement in decision-making and reshape the relationship between citizens and government.
Build a Better Democracy Through Public Participation
In the first entry in a series exploring the connection between the processes and products of Placemaking and city governance, PPS explores how "Place Governance" can increase leadership, equity, and cohesion among citizens.
Schools: Planning's Enduring Blindspot
Schools are a prime driver of housing choices and transportation behavior. So why are schools and children often missing from the planning process? Ruth Miller diagnoses the problem and looks at how we can change it.
Strong Communities Are Founded on Civic Engagement
Kelly Morphy provides tips and strategies on improving civic engagement - the key to healthy communities and desired outcomes.
New Initiative Brings 3D Planning to the Public
Eric Jaffe writes on a new interactive planning initiative in Louisville, Kentucky, that takes a hands-on approach to public engagement.
A Burning Man Guide to City Reinvention
After two decades of pushing the boundaries of what it means to build a community (both physically and spiritually), the annual Burning Man festival has a lot to teach municipalities about providing services and fostering participation.
Community Collaboration Gains Momentum in the UK
Following on historic new powers granted recently to cities across England, RIBA and ResPublica have published a new paper arguing for greater collaboration with local communities in neighborhood planning, writes Irina Vinnitskaya.
How Can We Get NIMBYs to Say Yes?
Will Doig reflects on the scourge of public micromanagement that has "essentially become an official part of the urban planning process in many cities," and explores the psychology behind anti-development activism.
Vallejo Approves First City-Wide Participatory Budgeting Process in US
The City Council of Vallejo, California, approved the first city-wide Participatory Budgeting process in the US this week. Residents will directly decide how to spend around $3 million from new sales tax revenue.
New Platform Aims to Be a Facebook for Cities
Claire Thompson profiles Neighborland, an online urban planning platform that aims to promote organic conversations that can build momentum and facilitate connections around improvement projects.
Avoiding Logical Fallacies in Planning
Our profession relies on logical analysis of accurate data. There are an amazing number of ways to go wrong.
What Can We Do With Crowdsourced Maps?
Shriya Malhotra explores the potential for participatory mapping to manage the complexities of cities in the 21st century.
Where Are Baby Boomers Going to Spend Their Golden Years?
John K. McIlwain breaks down the recent explosion in the "65-or-better" population – and what it means for urban regions.
Issues of Transparency Raised Over Brooklyn Development
As proposals for the large-scale development at Brooklyn Bridge Park come in, some members of the public are crying foul over a perceived lack of transparency and public involvement during a recent meeting.
Kite Photography as Community Engagement
Attach a digital camera to a balloon or kite, and what do you get? An easy tool for public participation in land use decisions, says Eymund Diegel of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science.
Critics Argue Against Public Participation
Public participation is an important part of the urban planning process, says Michael Hooper, as "it improves project outcomes and the likelihood of project success." But lately, some prominent people are saying that it hinders the planning process.
Regional Transportation Planning Meeting Held: No One Comes
Officials and planners from across Georgia came out to answer any questions the public may have about a new regional transportation plan. Evidently the plan has "100 percent support," joked one official, because no one showed up.
NYC Residents Suggesting Locations for New Bike Share Stations
Earlier this week, New York City officials announced a new bikeshare system that will be available to New Yorkers in 2012.
Participatory Budgeting Launches in New York City
In four New York City Council districts, residents will soon be able to propose and vote on capital projects to be funded by councilmember's budgets.
My Future City is Houston?
The BMW Guggenheim Lab has released an online urban planning game called "Urbanology," which asks a serious of questions to determine the type of city you think is the future.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
