Public engagement needs a serious remodel- Do NOT hold a meeting about it! demand it

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How the public engages with government agencies needs a major overhaul.

Do we need to have a meeting about it? nope.

Let the free market figure it out. How could that work? The same way you order Netflix, download an audio book , watch videos online. Oh- take classes from MIT or search the world on google maps.

Attending a meeting of your overlords and being allowed to speak for 3 minutes at the end of the meeting is a relic of a bygone era.

Next meeting you attend demand a change in how you can engage, specifically prior to the meeting.

Where can you upload files, what is your webex, google hangout , skype or zoom meeting info? Dont ask if they can get it , ask for it.

The cost of these technologies is so low have no excuse to deny you of this access.

 

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/most-public-engagement-is-worse-than-worthless

 

Ruben Anderson is a long-time member of Strong Towns and consultant on sustainability and regenerative systems. Today he's sharing a guest article in response to Strong Towns founder Chuck Marohn's thoughts on the value (or lack thereof) of public engagement.

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Chuck Marohn's Strong Towns article entitled "Most Public Engagement is Worthless" grabbed my attention. The article is fantastic, and the comments are getting richer and richer as I write this. But I would like to go a bit further.

I think most public engagement is beyond worthless. I think it actually corrodes the relationships we need in order to build a strong town. Most public engagement, as it is currently conducted, makes our cities worse places.

Does this mean that I am saying we should abandon public engagement? Most definitely not. But I think we need to understand behavior, relationships, and expertise a lot better if we are going to do good with our consultation efforts instead of harm. Public engagement needs to be done well, because it would be better to do nothing at all than to corrode the public's trust in City Hall and in each other.

Let me tell you a story.

I was working for the City of Vancouver’s Sustainability Group and was assigned to a large urban planning process. Consultation was said to be critical, necessary, jugular—and so we dog-and-ponied with our flip charts and sticky notes and dotmocracy.

We asked people the question, "How could Vancouver be more sustainable?"

Solar Panels! they told us. Windmills! Plant trees! Ban plastic bags! Ride bikes!

Golly. Solar panels?

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://flbikeped.com/2018/09/02/public-engagement-needs-a-serious-remodel-do-not-hold-a-meeting-about-it-demand-it/

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