Policy design and implementation; an inclusive model to promote public participation

Author: Patricia Rios – Liu Institute – University of British Columbia, Canada

The design of the city requires the expertise and knowledge from different disciplines, the participation of representatives from private and public institutions, practitioners, engagement specialists and the public itself. Despite the solid intention to include the community and stakeholders in the urban policy process, public engagement continues to be a disorganized and highly inefficient formal requisite. People are usually involved in the final stages of the implementation process, addressing mainly superficial issues while there is a lack of awareness of critical issues, causes and concerns that impact the sustainable development of the city.

This proposal visualizes urban policy as an opportunity to engage in a positive dialogue, to involve the community, develop partnerships to collaborate and incorporate each stakeholder’s view to the maximum extent possible. This research analyses the theory of the urban policy process and state of the art public participation spectrum. Further on, evaluates how public participation has been introduced in cities from developing countries. The final outcome is an enhanced, efficient and flexible policy design and implementation model that bridges the public’s opinion and scientific knowledge. The model rests on the engagement and communication tools of the Participatory Design method (mostly used in urban design) and the Strategic Design Method (developed to address public policy), that have proven to be highly effective co-creation approaches that promote empathy, create awareness, connect and empower the community.

The model benefits a wide range of groups: from researchers and people interested in public communication, to policy makers, engagement specialists and the community itself. Integrating science communication and public participation allows us to build a platform where the community’s opinion is integrated with scientific expertise building a cohesive decision-making process that addresses real concerns with feasible solutions.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Influencing policies through science communication