Beyond the Platform: How Planners Can Get Digital Engagement Right

As more of daily life is shifted to an online arena, it is increasingly important to understand when — and how — to best leverage digital tools and platforms to improve public participation in planning processes.

That's why Della G. Rucker, AICP, principal at Wise Economy Workshop, feels it was important to understand why some online public engagement efforts don't work for planners and why others are successful. And if they are going to meet people where they are online, Rucker believes planners should ensure it's done in a way that is beneficial for everyone involved — the public, the elected officials, and anyone else who is affected.

"I think it is our responsibility to ourselves, our communities, to the larger practice of urban planning, and to our elected officials to be truthful," says Rucker in an American Planning Association (APA) training — "Let's Rethink Digital Public Engagement" — earlier this year as part of the Upskilling initiative.

Define Your Engagement Goals

That starts with focusing on the core objective of the engagement process. According to Rucker, the biggest decision for any public participation effort, in-person or digital, is whether you intend to "tell, ask, discuss, or decide." Once that is determined, you will be more likely to select the right tactics, platforms, and tools.

Rucker's Tell-Ask-Discuss-Decide framework is a shorthand for the potential distinct purposes of public engagement:

• Tell: Do you want to inform the public about an adopted or proposed plan, ordinance, program, or project?
• Ask: Do you want to solicit public feedback on a proposed plan, ordinance, program, or project?
• Discuss: Do you want to involve the public in developing, designing, or otherwise shaping a plan, ordinance, program, or project?
• Decide: Do you want to involve the public in deciding about a plan, ordinance, program, or project?

What works for a "decide" process may be wholly inappropriate for processes that more align with "ask." Likewise, if the public's input won't sway the decision-makers, then any of the other options besides "tell" may be a waste of time.

During the training, Rucker says that once a planner has clarified the core objective, the next step is to ensure all digital public engagement methods follow four key principles:

1. State honestly to the public what type of engagement you are doing.
2. Make clear what impact their feedback will have and on whom.
3. Explain the planner's role in the decision-making process.
4. Identify who is responsible for making the final decision.

Be Honest and Know Your Audience

The principles emphasize the importance of honesty, which is crucial. "In a world of intensive social media and the ability for anybody to share information virtually and effortlessly, nothing matters more than your integrity," Rucker says.

Before selecting a specific online engagement platform or tool, Rucker recommends taking time to make sure you fully understand the audience you're trying to reach: What is the basic demographic profile of this group? What languages do they speak at home? Who do they trust? What is their level of access to and comfort with different types of communication technology and devices? What are the most important limits on their availability for synchronous activities?

Top image: Planners hoping to get their digital public engagement right should consider gearing it toward mobile technology rather than computer or tablet-based tools, according to a recent American Planning Association training session. Photo courtesy of hxyume / E+ / Getty Images.