"Some key considerations must be kept in mind when you are choosing specific techniques and activities from your public involvement 'tool box.' In planning your outreach activities consider the following..."
This chapter of Hear Every Voice includes descriptions of various public involvement
techniques as well as case studies of how a public involvement program has worked within
the scope of a plan or project. The discussion of techniques also details their applicability
under different circumstances, e.g., long-range plans, corridor studies, etc. These techniques
are not meant to exhaustively explore all the different types of citizen involvement strategies,
but merely to give an overview of how they have been applied in Minnesota and to refer
you to the sources that will be able to provide you with a more in-depth understanding.
One excellent source for this knowledge is published by the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decision-making. A
copy of this report is included in the Appendix to this document.
Some key considerations must be kept in mind when you are choosing specific
techniques and activities from your public involvement tool box. In planning your
outreach activities consider the following:
Who are you trying to reach?
What message or information do you want to convey or receive?
How much will it cost?
Which combination of techniques (and how many) is most appropriate?
How easy or difficult is it to implement?
How does it relate to your objectives?
Although all of the above considerations are important to keep in mind, the last is of
special significance. Often people reach into their toolbox to retrieve the public involvement
technique perceived as the most current or trendy or to use the technique with which they
feel most comfortable. This behavior is not necessarily problematic, as long as the
techniques you will be using are related to the objectives you have identified. Objectives
may range from building credibility for your agency to involving as diverse an array of
stakeholders as possible, all aimed at achieving the overall objective of making the best
transportation decisions possible.
Two public involvement methods that Mn/DOT has used warrant some discussion here.
They are more than techniques and closer to a systematic approach for engaging the public.
Some of the philosophies that inform these methods serve to inspire public involvement
efforts throughout the department.
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