Public Participation in
Community Decision-Making
CTAP Conference
September 29, 2007
–Jim Gruber, Antioch New England Institute
–Michele Gagne, UNH Cooperative Extension
–Charlie French, UNH Cooperative Extension
–Dan Reidy, UNH Cooperative Extension
Why Engage the Public?

To identify and assist in addressing community needs

To educate and empower citizens so they can more fully
understand the complexities of issues you must address

To educate decision-makers

To broaden the asset base

To make implementation more likely by building ownership
of the citizens on the agreed upon approach

To build accountability and effective feedback
Different Approaches of
Community Engagement for
Different Purposes
Is the purpose…
– Community Building?
– Public Information?
– Deliberation?
– Decision Making?
Structure the Public
Participation Process
 Determine
the purpose of the Process
 Determine
the Role of the Public
 Identify
and Involve Key Stakeholders
 Determine
 Develop
how to engage the public
a process
 Build Accountability
(how will info be used)
Public Participation Approaches
 Strategic
Planning
 Community
Visioning (Vision to Action)
 Interest-Based
Problem Solving
 Citizen Advisory
Committees
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning enables a group to come to a
shared vision of its desired future and to create a
detailed, participant-owned plan of action.
Advantages
Challenges
 Brings
 Requires
community
together around issues
 Results-oriented process
 Addresses both short
and long-term issues
 Components of plan
adoptable by other plans
skilled facilitator
 Participants may get
frustrated with the process
 There is not always
consensus re objectives
and strategies
 Results may be long term
Vision
 “Dream”
of where the community/group
wants to be far in the future
 Example:
– Our town is committed to improving the quality
of life for our residents by building a community
in which all people have access to economic
opportunity, the ability to pursue that
opportunity, and a voice in the decisions that
affect their lives.
Mission
 The
“what” and “why”
 Example:
– To build a healthy community through a
comprehensive initiative to promote
jobs, education, and housing
Objectives
 The
how much of “what” will be accomplished
by “when”
 Example:
– Quality Affordable Housing is housing that is free of
significant structural defects, meets the basic living needs of
residents, and is reasonably safe and secure. To be
“affordable,” the cost to live in quality housing should be
within the financial reach of residents (30 percent of income)
at various income levels. Quality affordable housing must be
profitable for the builder, developer, landlord, etc., or it will
not be built and/or maintained.
Strategies and Actions
 The
“how” and specifics of who will do what and
when
 Examples:
– The City of ---- should enforce existing health and
building codes encouraging rental property owners to
recognize problems and take action.


Form a committee to determine problem areas in town and
report this back to town committees by March 2008
Selectmen will make a determination after hearing report about
expanding code enforcement officer hours to full-time by town
meeting 2008
Community Visioning…the first step of a
vision-to-action process
This approach can be used to either “map” the
current condition (called a mind map) or to
create a shared, collective vision of the future.
Advantages
Challenges
 Builds

a broad ownership
of where the community
wishes to go
 Sets broad priorities of
the created vision
 Inclusive…100s can
participate in one hour
Must have a broad
cross-section of the
community “in the room”
 Must have a plan to
translate the vision into
tangible objectives and
actions
 This is only the 1st step
Step One: The Vision Map
 Twenty
Years form
now….if there is
sustained
growth…How do
you want your
community to look,
to feel, to have as a
home?
The Vision Map
 Develop
a shared vision of where you
want to be in 20 years based upon:
– the characteristics of your community that
you value and wish to sustain
– changes you wish to encourage and
– changes that you wish to discourage
– prioritize key elements of the vision
Step Two
 Review
previous successful (and unsuccessful)
approaches, actions, and events that were
effective (or not effective) with planning,
managing, and directing growth.
 Assess
resources currently lacking that are
needed to plan for growth.
Step 3
Translate the Vision Map
into prioritized objectives
 Identify existing barriers
that are in the way of
achieving these
objectives (economic,
political, social,
organizations,
knowledge, etc.)
 Develop preferred
strategies/ approaches
that are most likely to
address these barriers

Step 4
 Identify
the specific types of resources/
strategies that are needed to fill the gap
between the current resources of local
government and what are needed to achieve
the shared vision (prioritized objectives)
 Revise
community’s master plan, capital
budget, and other actions needed to proceed
towards prioritized objectives
Ground Rules
 Rules:
– All ideas are valid
– The person with the idea says where it
goes
– Give an example to clarify
– Everyone has one contribution before a
second contribution to the vision
– Opposing ideas are OK
Interest Based Problem Solving
Interest-Based Problem Solving is an issueresolution process that addresses individual and
group differences in a problem-solving
environment.
Advantages
Challenges
 Focuses
 Not
on common
interests – win-win
 Fosters creativity
 Solutions weighed with
objective criteria
 Builds leadership
all issues can be
resolved
 Process can be frustrating
and take a long time
 Some parties intentionally
work to corrupt process
When you hear the word “conflict”
what images come to mind?
Positive aspects of public conflict:
 Mutual
gains solutions
 Addresses problems and promotes action
 Builds long-term relationships
 Stimulates creativity
 Strengthens democracy
 Leadership emerges
Positions Are…
 Emotions
– how someone feels about an issue
 A pre-determined
solution
Problems with positions:
 Predetermined
 Does
 Limits
way to resolve problems.
not deal with interest of parties in dispute
creative options.
Interests are…
 Needs,
 Why
beliefs, values behind the positions.
something is important.
Why focus on interests?
 Gets
to heart of issue.
 Moves people beyond polarized positions.
 Sets stage for mutual understanding.
 Leads to group cooperation.
 Sets stage for issue re-framing.
 Sets stage for generating creative options.
Examples of interests & positions:
Cost-efficiency
Educational quality
Stretch resources
Want school
consolidation
Interests
Community pride
Value historic school
Educational quality
Positions
Oppose school
consolidation
Citizen Advisory Committee
Citizen advisory committees foster positive
relations with the community by engaging
citizens in the development of policies and
programs to ensure that they are enriched by
diverse perspectives.
Advantages
Challenges
representation  Committees often don’t
have jurisdictional power
 Based on local assets
 Directly engages citizens  Requires much time/effort
in policy-making
 Can suffer low return rates
 Diverse
How are they helpful?
 Help
anticipate public reaction to proposed
decisions
 Provide communication to constituencies
 Organize a forum for building consensus
 The advisory committee becomes more
educated and their feedback is more
informed
When are they used?
 Master
Plans
– Representative of various groups in
community with a chair to coordinate
meetings and report back to town boards
– Can work to develop public involvement
opportunities for Plan update
Even More Approaches to
Engage Community Members











Search Conferences
Collaborative Decision Making
Study Circles
Deliberative Dialogue
Public Information Outreach
Citizen Surveys
Youth Involvement Programs
Public Listening
District Council
Community Celebrations
Volunteerism
(See handout for a description)
Further Resources re Public
Participation Tools:
Asset Mapping: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1043.htm
Concerns Survey: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1018.htm
Needs Survey: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1042.htm
Focus Groups: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1045.htm
Interviews: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1047.htm
Public Forums: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1021.htm
Break Out Activity
Strategies for Enhancing
Public Participation
 An
Example: Involving the public in a
community master plan and capital
budget planning and implementation
process
Specific Goals
 All
approaches should support overall
community building and…
– Informs the Public (provides public
information)
– Solicits input from the public (that
includes public deliberation processes)
– Engages the public in “the work”
(including the decision making process)
Three Break-out Groups
Group A) Informs the Public (MG facilitates)
Group B) Soliciting Input from the Public
(JG facilitates)
Group C) Engaging the Public “In the Work”
(CF facilitates)
Impact vs Feasibility
 Each
group brainstorms potential, specific
approaches of engaging the public
including:
– both what your can do and how you can do it.
– Each approach is written on a sticky note.
– Each sticky note is placed on an “Impact vs
Feasibility Grid” (Low, Medium, or High”
feasibility and Low, Medium, and High Impact”