Digital engagement is the latest buzz when it comes to public participation. If your town is thinking about diving into the digital realm, consider these six questions.
Thinking about using digital engagement for your next public process? Do you know what important conversations to have before diving in?
Pete Peterson, executive director, Davenport Institute and Alissa Black, investment principal, Omidyar Network work with cities and towns looking to adopt digital tools and improve decision-making processes. Sharing success stories on a recent CommunityMatters conference call, Pete and Alissa highlighted a handful of key questions to ask when thinking about digital engagement.
They recommend conversations that cover process design—ask "Why are we engaging the public?" Discussions about outreach, like, "Who visits our municipal website?" Considerations for engagement outcomes—"Are these the conversations we’re looking for?"
Click through to the full story to find the full list of questions, along with the call notes and recording.
FULL STORY: 6 Key Questions to Ask for Successful Online Public Engagement

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.

Test News Post 1
This is a summary

Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.

Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service