What Kind of City do the People Want? Bringing Opinion Research into

the Digital Age

Ken Cameron FCIPAdjunct Professor of Urban Studies

Simon Fraser UniversityDirector, PlaceSpeak Inc.

Outline

• Planning for livability in the Vancouver region• Urban Futures Survey• PlaceSpeak: A New Tool for Public

Consultation• Conclusions

Key Elements in Planning for Greater Vancouver

• Long-term commitment going back to 1940s (with some interruptions)

• Vision-based: “Cities in a Sea of Green;” “The Livable Region”

• Based on public participation and opinion research: The Urban Futures Survey

Outline

• Planning for livability in the Vancouver region• Urban Futures Survey• PlaceSpeak: A New Tool for Public

Consultation• Conclusions

Urban Futures Survey 1973, 1990, 2012

• Representative sample of metropolitan region’s population

• Components– Demographic, household, employment– Statements – agree scale– Issues and problems – ranked– Regional plan priorities – ranking of five goals

Areas of Focus

• Environment• Community life• Mobility• Built environment• Managing growth• Governance

Urban Futures Survey Impact on Policy

• 1973 – personal interviews

• 1990 – telephone survey

• 2012 – online survey using PlaceSpeak

• Livable Region Plan proposals

• Creating Our Future Vision and Livable Region Strategic Plan

• Confirmation/ranking of regional planning goals

Location of Urban Futures Survey 2012 Respondents

Ranking of Issues: 1973, 1990, 2012

Ranking of Challenges: 2012

Ranking of Regional Growth Strategies

Outline

• Planning for livability in the Vancouver region• Urban Futures Survey• PlaceSpeak: A New Tool for Public

Consultation• Conclusions

Why do we want effective citizen engagement?

• Political and public expectations• Certainty• Better decisions• Democracy

The old consultation system is broken

• Traditional forms of public consultation are dysfunctional and ineffective: Public meetings, Door knocking, Land line telephones.

• Online consultation to date has been anonymous and “one-off;” it suffers from: Trolls, Gaming the system, anecdotal Social Media.

• Online Consultation typically lacks verifiable feedback data to inform evidence-based decision-making and public policy development.

Need for a new paradigm

Challenges

• Time• Respect for privacy• Language• Complexity of issues• Interactivity/Iterativeness• Integrity of results

The potential of online engagement

• Privacy• Convenience• Broader reach• Ability to present complex information• Neutrality/open-mindedness• Interactivity/Iterativeness

We’re all adults here (aren’t we?)

Malcolm Knowles, a pioneer in the study of adult learning, observed that adults learn best when:

• They understand why something is important to know or do

• They have the freedom to learn in their own way• Learning is experiential• The time is right for them to learn• The process is positive and encouraging

A burgeoning/bewildering array of tools

Case in Point: PlaceSpeak

Participants (citizens)

• Sign up with email address

• Verify identity• Identify topics of interest

(by area or by subject)• Participate through

surveys, discussion forums, etc.

Proponents (cities, developers, utilities, etc.)• Register and identify a

topic• Determine who can

participate by area and/or topic

• Choose consultation tools• Engage with participants

and report outcomes

Integrity

• Participants’ privacy is protected• Participants are informed of the purpose of a

consultation and can decide whether or not to participate

• Proponents are screened• No advertising• Data is not sold

Example: Lingyen Mountain Temple

Definition of consultation area

Example: Aldergrove Community Centre

Definition of consultation area

Outline

• Planning for livability in the Vancouver region• Urban Futures Survey• PlaceSpeak: A New Tool for Public

Consultation• Conclusions

Conclusions

• Citizen engagement is essential to a successfully planned future

• Comprehensive opinion research can guide engagement and policy making

• Online mechanisms offer vast potential to enhance opinion research and broaden and deepen engagement

• There is even the potential to transform the relationship between citizen and government

What Kind of City do the People Want? Bringing Opinion Research into the Digital Age

Ken Cameron FCIPkdcameron@kdcameron.com

www.placespeak.comwww.urbanfuturessurvey.com