“Public participation is based on the belief that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process.”
That is the first of seven “Core Values of Public Participation” as stated by the International Association of Public Participation, the IAP2. And it’s pretty self-explanatory: if you’re going to build a fence, it’s only right and proper that you should go talk to the neighbours about it first.
That doesn’t mean that you’ll build the fence your neighbour wants or that you’ll build a fence with three different sides to suit three neighbours. It means you’ll ask their opinion and then, to the greatest degree possible, honour the second IAP2 Core Value: “Public Participation includes the promise that the public’s contribution will influence the decision.”A colour; a height; a gate location: you never know what will make sense– until you ask.
The Core Values also honour your interests and priorities. The third Core Value states: “Public Participation promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and communication the needs and interests of all participants, including the decision makers.” (It may be important to tell the neighbours, for instance, that the fence is legally mandated to protect their children from your new swimming pool.)
Of course, the fence analogy has its limits. The fourth IAP2 value states: “Public Participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision.” A more cogent example for this might be the Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Preliminary Design Consultation that Kirk & Co managed on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in 2009. We sent out 1,500 emails and almost 20,000 postcards to stakeholders and residents whose homes are located near the proposed route alignment (from Lougheed Town Centre to Douglas College in Coquitlam).
Of course, emails and postcards don’t work for everyone, which is why, “Public Participation seeks input from participants in designing how they participate.” That, the fifth Core Value, also leads directly to the sixth: “Public participation provides participants with the information they need to participate in a meaningful way.” On the Evergreen project – in direct response to early requests for a variety and breadth of consultative methods – we provided: a Discussion Guide and feedback form; stakeholder meetings; public open houses; a publicly accessible local project office in Coquitlam; and an extensive web-based consultation.
A seventh and final Core Value is one that can never appropriately be overlooked: “Public participation communicates to participants how their input affected the decision.” The proof of how public input is used will be borne out as the project unfolds, but the first vital element can be found here with the Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Preliminary Design Consultation Summary Report.