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 [email protected]
www.placespeak.comwww.urbanfuturessurvey.com
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