The design of the public spaces and resources in your community plays a major role in the quality of life for your residents. Before creating or investing in public spaces, it’s important to understand how they’re used, who they're for, and why they do/don't do their job of bringing people together.
Whether you’re running a planning process for a comprehensive plan, a transit plan, or something in between, it’s essential to break down traditionally dry, heavy processes and turn them into exciting engagement opportunities.
Swapping concrete jungles for lush parks can make our cities more beautiful while adding climate and health benefits. Your residents can easily share ideas and vote on their favorite projects.
Support local economies, revitalize communities, and create human-centered spaces. Understand what your community needs and analyze the options together.
How can you balance the needs of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians all while creating a more vibrant and communal city? Identify problem areas and even visualize the future together using mapping tools.
CitizenLab’s community engagement platform helps you launch projects using a variety of consultation methods, without having to juggle different tools.
Crowdsource ideas directly from residents to gain valuable insights into how they use (or would like to use) their local public spaces.
Provide a range of pre-approved scenarios or options for residents to learn about, debate, and ultimately choose from.
Visualize what is happening in each neighborhood, or a specific area, at a glance to address needs directly.
We like to think that digital reaches everyone, but what if you're missing out on some groups?
Here are key principles to follow when setting a digital participation project to ensure that your platform is as inclusive and representative as possible.
We believe that community engagement doesn’t have to be hard. To enable all local governments to tap into the benefits of community engagement, we’ve put together inspirational case studies and practical blog posts showing real examples of how our platform has been deployed as a solution for various use cases.
With around 300,000 residents, Newham is one of the biggest and most diverse boroughs in London, so it should be no surprise that it’s not new to community engagement. In fact, Newham’s recent leadership has prioritized involving residents and creating a more participatory democracy, including via a dedicated Resident Engagement and Participation team.
Learn moreFrom urgent calls for racial justice in public spaces to the recovery of small businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s obvious that urban main streets face unique economic and social challenges. Against this backdrop, cities across the country have been piloting new approaches to people-centered main streets.
Learn moreSay you’re looking to invest in planning projects to make public spaces greener, more pleasant, and more accessible. Involving community members in these plans is crucial for accurate, responsive, and inclusive decision-making. Let’s have a quick look at why that is.
Learn moreCOVID-19 forced us to evaluate how and when we share space, and nowhere was that more visible than on once-busy streets and sidewalks. Americans cut their driving in half, roads were closed to cars in order to create public spaces, and outdoor restaurants (or “streeteries”) popped up seemingly overnight.
Learn more