Community engagement toolkit for planning

Community

engagement

toolkit for

planning

December 2017

1 William Street, Brisbane Qld 4000, Australia, July 2017.

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An electronic copy of this report is available on the Planning group’s website at https://planning.dilgp.qld.gov.au.

Contents

Preface ......................................................................................................................................... 1

About the toolkit ......................................................................................................................... 2

What is the toolkit? .......................................................................................................... 2

Vision statement ............................................................................................................... 3

Outcomes sought ............................................................................................................. 3

Why is a toolkit needed? ................................................................................................. 3

How the toolkit relates to statutory requirements ......................................................... 3

Part 1: Guiding principles .......................................................................................................... 7

What is community engagement? ................................................................................... 7

What do we mean by ‘community’? ................................................................................ 7

Why is community engagement important?................................................................... 7

Six core principles ........................................................................................................... 9

Resource 1.1: Six core principles ........................................................................................................ 9

International Association for Public Participation ....................................................... 10

Resource 1.2: IAP2’s public participation spectrum .......................................................................... 11

Part 2: Developing a community engagement plan ................................................................ 13

Tool 2.1: Checklist for developing an engagement plan ................................................................... 13

Define the community engagement scope ................................................................... 14

Tool 2.2A: Aligning community engagement to stakeholder impact levels ....................................... 15

Tool 2.2B: Decision-making flowchart to help align community engagement to stakeholder

impact levels ...................................................................................................................................... 16

Tool 2.3: Listing negotiable and non-negotiable items ...................................................................... 17

Determine the context .................................................................................................... 17

Understand your stakeholders, their interests and levels of influence ...................... 18

Tool 2.4: Stakeholder understanding checklist .................................................................................. 19

Resource 2.1: Stakeholder ability to influence outcomes .................................................................. 20

Tool 2.5: Checklist for identifying stakeholder needs ........................................................................ 21

Tool 2.6: Stakeholder prioritisation table ........................................................................................... 22

Implementation plan....................................................................................................... 23

Tool 2.7: Example community engagement action plan – Local plan for a rural town ...................... 24

Part 3: Selecting community engagement tools ..................................................................... 30

Tool 3.1: Selecting engagement tools to achieve critical success factors for engagement .............. 30

Tool 3.2: Choosing the right engagement tools – options matrix ...................................................... 32

Online engagement ........................................................................................................ 44

Online engagement platforms ....................................................................................... 45

Email marketing .............................................................................................................. 45

Creative ideas: What’s trending in this space? ............................................................ 46

Citizensourcing .................................................................................................................................. 46

Participatory budgeting ...................................................................................................................... 47

Online interactive mapping and priorities .......................................................................................... 47

Mobile applications ............................................................................................................................ 47

Part 4: Engaging with specific groups .................................................................................... 48

Tool 4.1: Overview checklist for engaging with specific groups ........................................................ 48

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities ..................................................... 49

Tool 4.2: Checklist for engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities ................ 50

Resource 4.1: Communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences ...................... 52

Resource 4.2: Closing the gap – Engagement with Indigenous communities in key sectors

(resource sheet no. 23) ...................................................................................................................... 52

Resource 4.3: Know your community – Key insights into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Queenslanders................................................................................................................................... 52

Resource 4.4: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s engagement toolkit ........................... 52

Resource 4.5: Protocols for consultation and negotiation with Aboriginal people and proper

communication with Torres Strait Islander people............................................................................. 52

Older people ................................................................................................................... 53

Tool 4.3: Checklist for engaging with older people ............................................................................ 53

Young people ................................................................................................................. 55

Tool 4.4: Checklist for engaging with young people .......................................................................... 56

People with disability ..................................................................................................... 57

Tool 4.5: Checklist for engaging with people with disability .............................................................. 57

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds .................................. 58

Tool 4.6: Checklist for engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse groups ............................. 59

Disadvantaged and homeless people ........................................................................... 60

Tool 4.7: Checklist for engaging with disadvantaged and homeless people ..................................... 60

Part 5: Content development ................................................................................................... 61

Content preparation ....................................................................................................... 61

Tool 5.1: Ten tips for creating suitable content for engagement ....................................................... 61

Tool 5.2: Checklist to guide development of engagement material ................................................... 62

Part 6: Implementing your community engagement strategy ............................................... 64

6.1 Data collection and analysis .................................................................................... 64

Tool 6.1: Checklist for determining data analysis requirements ........................................................ 65

Tool 6.2: Example Excel community engagement database ............................................................ 66

Part 7: Feedback and reporting ............................................................................................... 67

Tool 7.1: Checklist for following up after engagement and preparing a report .................................. 68

Part 8: Evaluation ...................................................................................................................... 69

Tool 8.1: Checklist to guide evaluation of a community engagement process ................................. 69

Part 9: Success stories ............................................................................................................. 71

Tool 9.1: Case study template ........................................................................................................... 71

Case study 9.1: New planning scheme ......................................................................... 71

Case study 9.2: CityShape 2026 .................................................................................... 73

Case study 9.3: Ideas Fiesta .......................................................................................... 75

Case study 9.4 Wet Tropics Plan for People and Country........................................... 77

Case study 9.5: Clifton Township Open Space Concept Master Plan ........................ 80

Part 10: References .................................................................................................................. 83

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 1 of 89

Preface

Planning creates great places for people to live, work and play. Because of this, local communities

benefit the most from good planning.

Queensland’s planning system encourages effective and genuine community engagement so that local

communities can participate in the planning process. It does this while supporting efficient and

consistent decision-making that instils investment and community confidence.

To encourage genuine community engagement in the planning process, this toolkit has been

developed to help Queensland councils engage with their communities about planning in a meaningful

and open manner. It will be kept up to date by the department, helping all councils to access feedback

on the benefits of engagement tools, as well as current trends in engagement techniques.

We appreciate that many local governments in Queensland have already developed, or are currently

developing, community engagement toolkits. Our goal is to work with these existing toolkits by

providing, and capturing, specific advice about engagement processes and tools that encourage

people to get involved in planning decisions that affect their local community.

The toolkit has been developed with advice from community engagement specialists and their peak

representative body – the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2). IAP2 has endorsed

this toolkit.

The toolkit features easily accessible web-based tools.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 2 of 89

About the toolkit

The Queensland Government is responsible for administering the legislation underpinning the state’s

planning and development system. A new era has arrived with the commencement of the Planning Act

2016 and associated new statutory instruments. These form the framework for a better planning system

that enables responsible development and delivers prosperity, sustainability and liveability now and into

the future.

The government is responsible for ensuring that communities can be involved in the decisions about

planning and development that affect them. These decisions relate to planning schemes, other ‘local

planning instruments’

and some development decisions where the proposal has been publicly notified.

The state’s role is to:

•

establish overall principles, governance and standards

•

balance and manage the expectations of all stakeholders

•

provide guidance on how to address the principles and meet the standards, while also meeting

community and stakeholder expectations.

What is the toolkit?

This toolkit supports the delivery of effective community engagement in plan-making

throughout Queensland.

It aims to help local governments to develop community engagement strategies for:

• preparing new local planning instruments

• amending existing local planning instruments.

Accordingly, the toolkit is intended to support local governments prepare a communications strategy

under the Minister’s Guidelines and Rules (MGR) for plan-making.

The toolkit is a non-statutory set of practical tools and information intended to support local

governments meet their requirements to engage with the community, as outlined in the MGR. It is also

intended to support community members and stakeholders in their interactions with the plan-making

process.

This toolkit provides a central location for information about current trends in engagement techniques,

the benefits of particular tools when engaging with the community about planning, and case studies. It

does not specifically address community engagement related to the development assessment process

– only those development proposals that are publicly notified provide an opportunity for the community

to have a say. Local governments may still use the tools within the toolkit during the notification

timeframe, but there is not the opportunity to go beyond the statutory time requirements.

According to the Planning Act 2016:

A local planning instrument is a planning instrument made by a local government, and is either:

(a) a planning scheme; or

(b) a TLPI [temporary local planning instrument]; or

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 3 of 89

The web-based nature of this toolkit provides the capacity for information to be provided in PDF and

other formats, where possible.

Overall, this toolkit aims to foster a new approach to, and enthusiasm for, community engagement for

the benefit of local communities across Queensland. Over time, it will be recognised as the main

repository for leading-practice community engagement in Queensland for the planning system.

Vision statement

Communities in Queensland affected by plan-making processes are able to participate in meaningful,

appropriate and timely community engagement that provides for their views to be considered in a way

commensurate with the scope of the proposed plan or plan-amendment decision.

Outcomes sought

The community is engaged in plan-making in a relevant and appropriate way through:

•

engagement that focuses on the best interests of the community

•

engagement that is open, honest and meaningful

•

engagement approaches that are inclusive and meet their particular needs

•

timely, accurate, easy-to-understand and accessible information

•

transparent decision-making.

The toolkit is not a statutory instrument.

Why is a toolkit needed?

Local communities throughout Queensland are diverse. While local governments, the development

industry and other stakeholders strive to ensure they meet best-practice standards for engagement, the

capacity to research ‘best-practice engagement’ and to conduct community engagement varies widely.

The department believes that:

Queensland’s planning system should support effective and genuine public participation in

planning, whilst providing for efficient and consistent decision-making that instils investment and

community confidence.

How the toolkit relates to statutory requirements

Land-use planning is undertaken for a range of reasons including:

•

managing the impacts of growing and diverse populations

•

managing the effects of natural hazards and climate change

•

protecting important resources such as open space, areas of environmental significance and

productive agricultural land.

Planning enables appropriate development in appropriate locations and creates great places for people

to live, work and play. Because of this, local communities are the key beneficiaries of good planning. It

is important to ensure that Queensland’s planning system includes opportunities for genuine and

effective community engagement, and these opportunities need to be secured in the state’s planning

legislation.

DILGP, 2015, p. 2.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 4 of 89

The MGR shows key points in the process where community engagement needs to be carried out by

local governments for a specified minimum period. These rules also require, in some cases, that local

governments prepare a communications strategy for the new planning scheme or amendment to the

scheme. (See figure 1 below and table 1 on the following page.)

While it is mandatory under the MGR for local governments to develop a communications strategy, the

use of any tools and resources in this toolkit is entirely up to each local government’s discretion. This

toolkit provides a suite of options for local governments to mix and match according to their

circumstances. The state has a role in confirming, or suggesting changes to, the communications

strategy.

The toolkit itself is non-statutory. It provides ideas, options and tools to inform possible approaches to

community engagement.

Figure 1: Relationship with Minister’s Guidelines and Rules

Mandatory

Planning Act 2016

• Minimum timeframes

for public consultation.

• Requirement to set a

communications strategy

Minister’s Guidelines

and Rules (MGR)

• How planning schemes

and other local planning

instruments are made or

changed.

• Communications strategy

must have regard to the

department’s community

engagement toolkit for

planning.

Not mandatory

Community engagement

toolkit

• Could be used for

purposes other than

meeting the MGR

requirements.

• Supports local

governments.

• Available online.

• Kit of tools in one place (it

is not mandatory to use

these tools.)

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 5 of 89

Table 1: For a communications strategy under chapter 2 of the MGR

Aspect

Community engagement toolkit support

•

A plan for public consultation

complies with any prescribed

consultation period

requirements under the

Planning Act or the relevant

section of the MGR

N/A

•

A statement about the extent

of consultation with relevant

state agencies

Part 2 – Developing a community engagement plan, including:

•

Tool 2.3 – Listing negotiable and non-negotiable items

•

Tool 2.4 – Stakeholder understanding

•

Tool 2.6 – Checklist for identifying stakeholder needs

•

Tool 2.7 – Stakeholder prioritisation table

•

A description of how the

attention of the community, or

the affected part of the

community, will be drawn to

the purpose and general effect

of the instrument

Part 2 - Developing a community engagement plan, including:

•

Tool 2.2A – Aligning community engagement to stakeholder impacts

•

Tool 2.2B – Decision-making flowchart to help align community engagement

to stakeholder impact levels

•

Tool 2.4 – Stakeholder understanding

•

Tool 2.6 – Checklist for identifying stakeholder needs

Part 3 – Selecting community engagement tools:

•

Tool 3.1 – Selecting engagement tools to achieve engagement critical

success factors

•

Tool 3.2 – Choosing the right engagement tools – options matrix

Part 4 – Engaging with specific groups (and the range of checklists and resources

in this part)

For any communications strategy to give consideration to:

•

The proposed geographical

community or communities of

interest to be consulted

Part 1 – Guiding principles: What do we mean by ‘community’?

•

The relevant community

groups, organisations and

stakeholders

Part 2 – Developing a community engagement plan, including:

•

Tool 2.4 – Stakeholder understanding

•

Tool 2.6 – Checklist for identifying stakeholder needs

Part 4 – Engaging with specific groups (and the range of checklists and resources

in this part).

•

How the proposed planning

scheme or amendment is

relevant to the community

Part 2 – Developing a community engagement plan, including:

•

Tool 2.2A – Aligning community engagement to stakeholder impacts

•

Tool 2.2B – Decision-making flowchart to help align community engagement to

stakeholder impact levels

•

The proposed length of

consultation

N/A

•

The proposed methods of

consultation – tools and

activities

Part 3 – Selecting community engagement tools, including:

•

Tool 3.1 – Selecting engagement tools to achieve critical success factors

•

Tool 3.2 – Choosing the right engagement tools

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 6 of 89

Part 5 – Content development, including:

•

Tool 5.1 – Ten tips for creating engagement content

•

Tool 5.2 – Examples of questions to guide engagement material content

•

Any actions that are optional

or contingent on other actions

occurring in the process

Part 2 – Developing a community engagement plan

Define the community engagement scope

•

The timing of the process,

including any milestones

N/A

•

Any supporting evidence for

the proposed communication

strategy

N/A

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 7 of 89

Part 1: Guiding principles

What is community engagement?

Different terms are used to describe the concept of community engagement, including public

participation and community consultation. In Australia, the term community engagement tends to be

used more than public participation, with consultation now considered to be a point on the engagement

(or participation) spectrum.

Community engagement, or public participation, has a range of definitions. However, typically it refers

to the process of involving people in the decisions that affect them. Engagement is considered to be

‘the process by which government, organisations, communities and individuals connect in the

development and implementation of decisions that affect them’.

What do we mean by ‘community’?

Communities of place

: Where people identify with a defined geographical area, e.g. a council ward, a

housing development or a neighbourhood.

Communities of interest

: Where people share a particular experience, interest or characteristic such

as young people, faith groups, older people, people with disability, migrant groups, community or

sporting groups.

Why is community engagement important?

Governments and industry across the globe are increasingly recognising the value of community and

stakeholder engagement as an essential part of project planning and decision-making.

Community engagement, in general, enables better outcomes for both the community and government.

It allows the parties involved to identify the concerns, risks, opportunities, options and potential

solutions that surround an issue, leading to more informed decision-making and mutual benefits that

include:

•

better policy development and service delivery

•

a better understanding of the day-to-day experience of people in communities

•

better relationships between the community and the government

•

community awareness and understanding about an issue

•

community buy-in and higher levels of community ownership

•

greater community support for, and more effective, policy implementation

•

determining what will work in reality and what will not

•

a mechanism for feedback/evaluation on existing policies

•

improved communication pathways, such as the use and further development of community

networks

•

opportunity to develop individual and community capacity and shared understanding of both issues

and potential solutions

•

legitimisation of decisions around controversial issues

Consult Australia, 2015.

City of Tea Tree Gully, 2014

IAP2.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 8 of 89

•

mutual learning

•

reduced conflict within stakeholder groups because individuals and communities can hear and

understand each other’s points of view, leading to consensus

•

uncovering new ideas and expertise.

In the context of planning, the benefits of community engagement include:

•

better policy decisions when developing local planning instruments

•

a better understanding of the day-to-day experience of people in their communities, and their

appreciation of their local amenity and heritage

•

better relationships between the community and local government

•

community awareness and understanding about the impacts of population growth, natural hazards

and climate change, and the need to protect important resources such as open space, areas of

environmental significance and productive agricultural land

•

community buy-in and higher levels of community ownership of planning instruments

•

a mechanism for feedback and evaluation of planning decisions

•

improved communication between local government and community members

•

opportunity to develop individual and community capacity and shared understanding of potential

planning approaches

•

reduced conflict within stakeholder groups, as individuals and communities can hear and

understand each other’s points of view, leading to consensus

•

uncovering new ideas and expertise.

Communities value the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with each other and with government to

develop innovative solutions, share their experiences, expand their understanding around issues and

develop empathy with competing stakeholders. Creating policy solutions through the engagement

process involves compromises and trade-offs that balance community interest as a whole and enable

budget priorities to be set:

… governments cannot help to solve complex problems without the concerted efforts of the

general public. Arriving at solutions will invariably involve trade-offs and outcomes that reflect

and/or balance community interest as a whole and enable budget priorities to be set.

For this reason, governments must engage more broadly with the community and in ways that are

different from what has been tried before.

Accessibility, timing and transparency are all important elements in getting community engagement

right. For complex and controversial issues, undertaking community engagement earlier rather than

later in the life of a policy or project may have major benefits. It gives the community the opportunity to

learn about the trade-offs involved, and a diverse range of community views can be considered in the

development of options or solutions.

In the past, it has been difficult to quantify the benefit of community engagement to projects. In 2015,

Consult Australia, with the support of IAP2, prepared Valuing better engagement: An economic

framework to quantify the value of stakeholder engagement for infrastructure delivery. Although this

document focuses on infrastructure projects, community engagement professionals may find it useful

within the planning framework.

Tasmanian Government Framework for Community Engagement, 2013.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 9 of 89

Six core principles

The six core principles of community engagement of particular use in the planning framework are

defined below.

Resource 1.1: Six core principles

Community is engaged in a relevant and appropriate way

Principles

How this may be applied at the local level

1. Engagement

focuses on the best

interests of the

community

•

Engagement is undertaken in the best interests of the whole community

(or the affected part of the community, if the changes apply only to part of

the local government area), rather than of any individual person or group.

2. Engagement is

open, honest and

meaningful

•

Engagement draws the attention of the community to all relevant

information, the purpose and general effect of the proposed plan/changes

and the specific details.

•

The community is provided with genuine opportunities to participate

in/contribute to the plan-making process and is kept informed of the

proposed plan/changes and its implications and any amendments during

the process.

3. Approaches to

engagement are

inclusive and

appropriate

•

Engagement is inclusive, appropriate to the needs of the community, and

commensurate with the scale and complexity of the proposed

plan/changes.

•

Reach out to and encourage the community to be involved in discussing

planning and development issues that affect their lives, making sure to

seek out diverse voices and perspectives.

•

Identify and address potential barriers to community input, while being

open with the community about any budget constraints.

•

Consistent engagement processes can make it easier for the community

and stakeholders to participate. However, this must be balanced with the

need for engagement tools to suit the community and the circumstances

of the proposal being considered. Identify approaches to reach all

community members, including those with specific needs (e.g. language,

people with disabilities, older people, and the young). Different

engagement tools and different questions will produce better responses

with different communities. Where possible, use a mix of qualitative and

quantitative engagement methods to gather a diversity of opinions.

4. Information is timely

and relevant

•

The community is provided with information in a timely manner which

allows for input before decisions are made.

•

Sufficient time is allowed for the community to consider information and

then make a meaningful contribution to the plan-making or development

assessment process.

•

Engagement should start early in the plan-making or development process

when objectives and options are being identified.

•

Listening to the community, addressing their concerns, and building

capacity to understand planning and development issues and solutions

can mean longer periods of engagement.

•

Recognise that public engagement is a dynamic, ongoing process that

requires flexibility.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 10 of 89

5. Information is

accurate, easy to

understand and

accessible

The community has easy access to information that is:

•

accurate, easy to read and easy to understand

•

tailored to the community, where necessary, in language and style

•

in a form that appeals to the intended audience

•

clear about how to make a submission, how the submission will be dealt

with, and the general timeframe before a decision can be expected.

6. Decision-making is

transparent

•

The final decision about the proposed plan, changes to the plan or the

development proposal is made in an open and transparent way.

•

The community, as a whole, and individual submitters are provided with

reasons for the decision and information about how all submissions have

been taken into account.

International Association for Public Participation

The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Federation and Australasian chapter offers

concepts, principles and current industry practice in relation to community engagement. IAP2 defines

community engagement as:

Any process that involves the community in problem-solving or decision-making and uses

community input to make better decisions.

IAP2 has developed seven core values for the practice of public participation:

…for use in developing and implementing public participation processes to help inform better

decisions that reflect the interests and concerns of potentially affected people and entities’.

These core values are:

1. 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.

2. Public participation includes the promise that the public’s contribution will influence the decision.

3. Public participation promotes sustainable decisions by recognising and communicating the needs

and interests of all participants, including decision makers.

4. Public participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected by or

interested in a decision.

5. Public participation seeks input from participants in designing how they participate.

6. Public participation provides participants with the information they need to participate in a

meaningful way.

7. Public participation communicates to participants how their input affected the decision.

In addition, the IAP2 Quality Assurance Standard for Community and Stakeholder Engagement outlines

steps for implementing quality engagement. It includes a process that audits an engagement process

against the IAP2 core values.

IAP2 developed a spectrum of public participation that helps define the community’s role in any

community engagement process. The IAP2 Spectrum (2014)

shows that differing levels of participation

are appropriate, depending on the outcomes, timeframes, resources and levels of concern or interest in

the decision to be made. Most importantly, the spectrum sets out the promise being made to the public

at each participation level.

The IAP2 Spectrum is referenced in some form, or underpins, many local and state government

community engagement toolkits available in Australia.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 11 of 89

Resource 1.2: IAP2’s public participation spectrum

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 12 of 89

In 2014, IAP2 Australasia developed a community engagement model that identified seven key drivers

of contemporary engagement. These are:

1. community connectedness

2. greater access to information

3. increased visibility

4. pressure to deliver value for money

5. the nature of complex problems

6. commercial pressure to innovate

7. mobility and pace of communication.

This contemporary engagement model recognises that engagement activities may be led by the

organisation, the community or both. It also recognises that the action may be driven by the community,

the organisation or both.

In the context of the planning system, the prevalent model would be where a local government or a

developer both leads the process and takes action. There may also be some current examples of

where local governments and their communities have shared leadership and action. In the future, it is

likely that there will be more examples of planning projects where the community advocates for change

and local government acts accordingly.

Figure 2: Community-engagement models

Source: IAP2 Australasia. IAP2 Australasia Contemporary Engagement Model

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 13 of 89

Part 2: Developing a community engagement plan

A community engagement plan should outline a clear approach to how the community and

stakeholders will be engaged on planning and development matters. To respond to the circumstances

of a particular local government or a particular community, engagement plans can take many different

forms. However, they should, at least, address the matters listed in the following checklist.

Tool 2.1: Checklist for developing an engagement plan



Engagement purpose

: Have you clearly defined the purpose of the engagement?

This involves explaining the reason input or participation is necessary, i.e. what planning

problem is the community helping to resolve or what decision does local government need

to make? This process also involves defining the stakeholders affected and the decision-

makers.



Engagement scope

: Have you clearly defined the scope of the engagement project?

This involves explaining the decisions that need to be made, what the engagement

process will focus on, and what you are seeking input on. This process also involves

defining what is non-negotiable (i.e. what the community cannot influence) and what is

negotiable (i.e. what the community can influence). At this point you could also reach out to

internal engagement staff to confirm your approach, and determine if external engagement

resources are required.



Engagement objectives

: Have you clearly defined the objectives that the engagement

process will achieve?

This involves explaining the objectives of your engagement process. Engagement

objectives could relate to a range of potential outcomes, including:



building community capacity to understand planning and development issues



building stronger relationships with community and stakeholders



seeking innovative solutions for planning and development challenges



making better decisions about planning and development.



Context analysis

: Have you conducted analysis to understand the local, regional, state

and national context that will affect the engagement process?

This could involve exploring local demographic and economic characteristics, access to

technology, level of understanding of planning issues, response to previous engagement

processes.



Stakeholder and issues analysis

: Have you conducted analysis of the different

stakeholders and community groups that could be interested in your process?

This analysis could include identifying stakeholders and community groups, exploring what

issues are of interest to them and how these individuals and groups might be affected, and

what methods you will use to engage and build relationships with them.



Level of engagement

: Have you determined the role of the community in the decision-

making process?

This process involves determining whether you will be promising to inform, consult,

involve, collaborate or empower the community. This could also include identifying the

phases of a project or process where the particular levels of engagement will apply.



Engagement phases

: Have you described the project phases and timeframes?

This involves describing the phases of your project, and the associated timeframes, and

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 14 of 89

how the engagement process supports these phases and complements the overall delivery

of the project.



Data collection and analysis

: Have you determined what data are required to support the

decision?

This process involves identifying how community input will be collected and in what format,

and how it will be used to inform the decision.



Engagement methods

: Have you defined a list of methods or tools you will use to inform

community members, and gain community input, feedback or collaboration to achieve your

engagement objectives?

This will include communication methods to raise awareness or understanding about the

planning or development project, and how feedback will be provided to the community

about the engagement process, what has been heard and how it will be considered.



Resources

: Determine what financial and human resources are needed, or are available,

to deliver the defined engagement methods.



Implementation plan

: Define a schedule for how and when the engagement will occur,

which should be linked to the engagement phases of the project.



Feedback

: Identify how feedback will be provided to community members and

stakeholders so that they understand how their input shaped the project or process

outcome.



Evaluation measures

: Define what you will do to evaluate the success of your

engagement. This could include ways to measure how satisfied the community and the

project team are with the engagement process, the quality of the input received, and how

well the engagement program achieved your stated objectives.

Define the community engagement scope

As a first step, you will need to scope the engagement project and determine what level of community

engagement is appropriate. This step will help to clarify why you are engaging with the community

(i.e. the purpose) and to identify community engagement objectives relevant to your project. This step

addresses the first three items on the checklist.

Community engagement objectives describe what needs to be achieved with your stakeholders in the

delivery of your engagement project. Some of the objectives will be about actions or activities and

some will be about the relationships with stakeholders.

The work by the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia to develop four levels of

impact and associated criteria can help you assess the likely level of impact that the planning or

development project may have on the community and stakeholders. Applying this to the IAP2 Public

Participation Spectrum provides further guidance in understanding the relationship between the level of

community impact and the level of engagement that should be applied.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 15 of 89

Tool 2.2A: Aligning community engagement to stakeholder impact levels

Likely level of impact

Criteria

Examples

Level of

community

engagement

High impact on whole

community

•

High impact across

community including to

the natural environment

or general health and

safety of all residents.

•

High degree of interest

across the community.

•

Strong possibility of

conflicting perspectives.

•

New planning scheme

for the whole local

government area.

Involve/

collaborate

High impact on a select

area and/or community

group

•

High impact on a

specific neighbourhood,

group in the community

or specific service or

program.

•

Strong possibility of

conflicting perspectives

at the neighbourhood

level or the need for

trade-offs among

certain groups.

•

Changes in zoning to

restrict future

development rights.

•

Increases in density in

key locations.

•

New or amendments to

existing, neighbourhood

or local plan.

Modest impact on whole

community

•

Modest impact across

the community.

•

Sufficient degree of

interest to warrant

community

engagement.

•

Moderate possibility for

conflicting perspectives.

•

Updating planning

scheme provisions

relating to small-lot

housing or apartment

building design.

•

The inclusion of a new

flood overlay.

Consult

Modest impact on select

area and/or community

group

•

Modest impact on a

neighbourhood area,

community group(s) or

specific facility/service.

•

Small change to a

localised facility/service.

•

Modest risk of

controversy or conflict

at the local level.

•

Changes to hours of

operation of a

community facility.

•

Intersection redesign.

Inform

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 16 of 89

Tool 2.2B: Decision-making flowchart to help align community engagement to stakeholder

impact levels

This tool can be used in conjunction with 2.2A to help you align impact levels with level of community

engagement. Once you have identified a level of community engagement you can refer to

Resource 1.2: IAP2’s public participation spectrum to determine associated goal and promise to the

community.

For planning projects, some decisions may be non-negotiable, while others may be negotiable.

Defining what is negotiable and what is not will determine how you engage with your community and

stakeholders. It is important to understand what these negotiables and non-negotiables are at the start

of a project or process in order to manage community and stakeholder expectations about their level of

influence on project or process outcomes.

Impact level

High impact on

whole community

Involve/collaborate

High impact on

select area/group

Involve/collaborate

Modest impact on

whole community

Consult

Modest impact on

select area/group

Inform

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 17 of 89

Tool 2.3: Listing negotiable and non-negotiable items

Please note that this tool only lists some examples for illustration purposes. You will need to add to the

table your project’s circumstances.

Non-negotiable

Negotiable

Non-negotiable items are the elements of a

planning process or project that cannot

change. Some examples are listed below.

Each project is different. It pays to consider

this question up-front on every project:

What aspect of this project cannot change?

What is fixed?

Negotiable items are those that are not bound

by legislative or statutory requirements. Some

examples are listed below. Each project is

different. It pays to consider this question up-

front on every project:

What aspects of this project can be influenced

by the community and stakeholders?

For example, legislative requirements for

engagement that needs to be followed.

For example, the range of engagement

techniques that can be implemented to add

value to the statutory process.

For example, the amount of budget local

government has allocated to spend on the

engagement process.

For example, the opportunity to work with the

community to implement community-led and

community-funded engagement activities.

For example, community safety such as the

need to restrict development in flood-prone

areas.

For example, the opportunity to influence how

density is addressed in a local government

area.

For example, the need to protect certain flora

and fauna communities because they are

listed as ‘rare and threatened’.

For example, the opportunity to influence

where parkland is located, or its function, in a

local government area.

Determine the context

An important step when planning any community engagement is to familiarise yourself with any existing

plans or reports related to your planning project, your stakeholders and community members, or the

local area. Whether recent or historical, they will offer valuable insights into community and stakeholder

sentiments, key issues and areas of interest that may be relevant to your planning project. Some

examples are:

•

demographic and economic information, including population projections or analysis of community

characteristics (e.g. age, ethnicity, socio-economic indicators)

•

reports about environmental constraints affecting the area (e.g. flooding, vegetation and landslip)

•

reports about local character and streetscape

•

traffic information, and future and historic infrastructure plans

•

previous community engagement outcomes for similar projects, locations or demographics.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 18 of 89

Understand your stakeholders, their

interests and levels of influence

Not all stakeholders in a particular group or sub-group will necessarily share the same concerns or

have unified opinions or priorities. This step explores how to understand and identify stakeholders who

should be involved in the engagement process.

Identification of key stakeholders is vital to engaging with people in the community who can contribute,

or can influence and encourage others to contribute.

Satisfaction with local government is not confined to roads, rates, safety and rubbish. Sometimes

improvements in these areas may not measurably improve overall community satisfaction. If a local

government wants to improve community perceptions, it is critical that they seek to understand what

makes its residents ‘tick’.

Every stakeholder or community group has their own reason to participate in an engagement process.

An understanding of these motives is good to keep in mind, e.g. young people may want to show their

capabilities and older people may want to share their expertise.

Three key steps can be taken to better understand your stakeholders.

Bang the Table: http://bangthetable.com/2011/07/02/all-lgas-are-unique-arent-they/

Citzenlab: http://citizenlab.co/blog/civic-engagement/3-key-learnings-to-move-forward-with-citizen-engagement-co-

creation/?utm_source=CitizenLab+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d0047db73a-

CitizenLab_s_Weekly5&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_459e3f49da-d0047db73a-142562401

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 19 of 89

Tool 2.4: Stakeholder understanding checklist

Step 1: Identify stakeholders



Have you considered who the stakeholders are? Have you identified the individuals and

groups that will be affected by the outcomes of the planning process? Have you identified

the individuals or groups that may be able to influence the outcomes of a planning

process?



A stakeholder is someone who can affect the success of the planning project or who will

be affected by the project.



Larger projects are likely to have a larger number of stakeholders involved. However, do

not underestimate the number of people that could become interested or involved in

smaller projects.



Your list of stakeholders should be as exhaustive as possible. This is the time to make

sure that you understand the local and regional contexts of your project, the people who

help to shape those contexts, and what planning issues interest them.



Do you understand the demographic characteristics of your community, and any socio-

economic indicators? Do you know whether the community understands planning issues?

How have they responded to previous engagement processes?



For each stakeholder, it is important to understand how they might be affected, what their

level of interest is likely to be, and what their level of interest should be (particularly where

the planning outcomes may create long-term changes that are not easily understood

impacts, e.g. changes in density in a residential area).

Step 2: Analyse stakeholder influence and impact

Once you have identified the stakeholders, and captured information about their influence,

interest and levels of understanding about planning issues, you can start to analyse this

information.



How much constructive or negative influence could a stakeholder have on the outcomes of

the planning process? How much interest are they likely to have?

This step involves analysing each of your identified stakeholders against certain criteria.

The two key criteria to analyse stakeholders against are:

1) extent to which they are interested (low to high)

2) ability to influence outcomes (low to high).

Once this analysis is complete, you will be able to create a prioritised list of stakeholders

and an associated engagement strategy.

Step 3: Prioritise stakeholders



Have you completed your analysis of stakeholder interest and influence? If so, you can now

prioritise your key stakeholder list.



Does your stakeholder have a low level of interest and low level of influence? Then they

may be a lower priority for your engagement strategy.



Should the stakeholder be more interested than they are? If this is the case, consider

treating them as if their interest is high, so that you can raise awareness and generate their

interest.



Does your stakeholder have a high level of interest and high influence? Then they will have

a higher priority in your engagement strategy.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 20 of 89

This exercise should be conducted for all your identified stakeholders, so that your engagement

strategy can comprehensively address all stakeholder interests.

Resource 2.1: Stakeholder ability to influence outcomes

It is important to note that this toolkit does not focus on the 'empower' end of the IAP2 Spectrum. The

goal of processes that empower is to place decision-making in the hands of the community. With the

purpose of the toolkit in mind, this would mean that local governments would commit to implementing

what the community decided in relation to planning processes, rather than make that decision

themselves. However, in practice, during the plan-making or amendment process, it is necessary for

local governments to weigh up a range of factors such as environment, economy, employment,

transport and housing. Many of these factors have legislative requirements that need to be complied

with.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 21 of 89

Tool 2.5: Checklist for identifying stakeholder needs

This tool will help you to identify the different needs of stakeholders, as they become involved in your

engagement process.



What level of information do stakeholders need to make an informed decision about the

planning project? Do they already understand planning concepts? Do they need support to

build their understanding of planning concepts?



What level of information are stakeholders likely to seek about your project?



Will all stakeholder contributions influence the project equally? Or are there some

individuals or groups that will have more influence on the outcomes of the project?

Remember that it is important to be transparent.



Is a community leader available to assist with the community engagement process? Will

this community leader be able to make introductions? Will the assistance of this

community leader build the credibility of the project or the project team?



Will everyone interested in, or potentially affected by, the project have an opportunity to

become involved?



Have efforts been made to include under-represented community groups in all community

engagement processes (e.g. younger people, older people, people with disabilities,

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically

diverse backgrounds, and disadvantaged and homeless people)?



Are there any barriers that may prevent some stakeholders from participating in the

process? These barriers could be physical, economic, cultural, or linguistic.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 22 of 89

Tool 2.6: Stakeholder prioritisation table

Stakeholder

name

Contact person

Impact

(L, M, H)

Influence

(L, M, H)

What is important to the

stakeholder

How might the stakeholder

contribute to the project?

How might the stakeholder

oppose the project?

Strategy for engaging the

stakeholder

What is the

name of the

stakeholder

group or

individual?

Who is the

nominated contact

person?

Will the impact

of the project on

the stakeholder

be low, medium

or high?

Tools 2.2A,

2.2B, 2.4 and

2.6 will help you

to understand

the impact.

Will the potential

influence of the

stakeholder on

the project’s

outcome be low,

medium or high?

What is important to this

stakeholder? What do they value?

What do they comment on in the

media? What are their

submissions usually about?

How could the stakeholder

contribute to the project, either

constructively or negatively? Do

they have resources that might be

useful to you? Can they introduce

you to other stakeholders?

What actions could the

stakeholder take to oppose the

project? What statements could

they make to influence others to

oppose the project?

What approach will you take to

engage with this stakeholder? Are

you informing, consulting,

involving or collaborating with

them? Or are you empowering

them to make a decision? What

techniques will you implement to

engage with this stakeholder?

Resource 2.1 will help you to

determine the level of engagement

that may be required.

For example:

Our Town’s

Koala Action

Group

Mr John Smith

This group is very interested in

protecting koalas and koala

habitat.

Their comments in the media

typically relate to the impact that

development has on koala habitat,

and associated impact on the

species.

Any submissions they make

generally focus on koalas but often

mention broader aspects of

environmental protection as well

and the adverse effects of

development.

This group has commissioned

research about koalas in our local

government area. They could be

happy to share their data.

Highly motivated group with large

membership.

Members make submissions on

planning projects and have been

known to protest at sites where

vegetation is being cleared.

Mr John Smith is often quoted in

print and online media and

interviewed for radio and TV. His

statements are often provocative.

For this project, we need to

proactively involve this group, as

they have knowledge to share that

can help the strategic planning

process.

Techniques will include:

•

meetings with Mr John Smith

and a small number of

members involve

representatives in any

workshops that focus on

environmental management

•

include a representative on the

Community Reference Group

established for the project.

For example:

Mrs Stephanie

Jones

This local resident will be directly

affected by the proposed increase

in density in this neighbourhood.

Mrs Jones has made statements

in the past about the negative

impacts of increased density on

her amenity.

Mrs Jones has made submissions

in the past, and written letters to

the editor.

There is an opportunity here to

build Mrs Jones’ understanding of

planning concepts, particularly the

trade-offs required if development

in this area remains low density.

It is very likely that Mrs Jones will

create an action group to oppose

this project, if she does not feel

that she has been listened to.

It is important that we consult with

Mrs Jones as part of this

engagement process.

Techniques will include:

•

one-on-one interviews

•

direct invitations to community

events

•

telephone contact.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 23 of 89

Implementation plan

The implementation plan is a crucial step in the community engagement process. This

plan lists the engagement tools for each phase of the project or process. It also includes

the resources required to deliver the tools and the timeframes that they need to be

delivered in.

This step depends on selecting the right tools for the community engagement process.

Selecting community engagement tools is described in more detail in part 3 of this

toolkit.

The following community engagement action plan is an example only and has been

created for an imaginary rural town in Queensland, with a population of between 6000

and 10,000 people.

In developing this action plan, these assumptions have been made:

•

The local plan being prepared is a medium to long-term plan that identifies the

needs and aspirations of the local community and outlines the actions that need to

be taken to achieve these local planning goals.

•

Resources are available in-house to deliver all the engagement tasks outlined in the

action plan, and specific skills may need to be supplemented by outsourcing.

The example community engagement includes a range of traditional and contemporary

tools to reflect the breadth of tools outlined in part 3, specifically tool 3.2.

The timeframes outlined in a community engagement action plan would need to coincide

with the timeframes for the development of the local plan. Given that the following action

plan is an example only, timeframes have not been specified.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 24 of 89

Tool 2.7: Example community engagement action plan – Local plan for a rural town

Activity

Description

Stakeholder group

Actions

Resources and

budget

Timeframes

Responsible

officer

Phase 1: Raise awareness (timing depends on overall program to develop local plan)

Letters to ratepayers

Prepare a letter that outlines

the project and why it is

needed, and outlines the

engagement process.

Distribute the letter to all

ratepayers.

Broader community

•

Prepare letter

•

Distribute

•

In-house writer

•

Postal costs

•

Prepare

•

Approvals

•

Distribute

Name of individual

tasked to

complete action

Advertisements

(e.g. print, TV, radio and digital)

• Most newspapers and radio stations have a community events

or public service announcement section which can be used to

inform the public of your events and activities.

• Advertisements can also be placed in specific areas of interest

(e.g. early general news, sports, business section) and online

platforms to capture interest.

✓

• Fast

• Efficient

• Wide-reaching

• Opportunity to position planning projects positively

using local government key messages

• Can contain a clear call to action to get involved in

planning project.

• Expensive

• Hard to target or to monitor effectiveness

• Can miss key minority groups.

Media releases

• Media releases need to be structured with simple and clear

messages.

• Can be used to disseminate information to the community

quickly.

• Find a newsworthy angle for your story and be concise when

sending story ideas to an editor or reporter.

• Highlight elements of your project that will provide good visuals

for digital and television and good picture opportunities for print

publications.

• Even if a reporter doesn’t attend an event you have arranged,

you still have an opportunity to get coverage after the event by

supplying the media organisation with any pictures or visual

collateral collected on the day.

• Always provide the news organisation with written materials

(e.g. news release) to ensure correct facts, names and dates for

your story.

✓

• Relatively cost-effective

• Opportunity to position planning projects using local

government key messages.

• Relies on the news cycle for the day of the event

and the news value of the project.

Websites

• To be used to provide accessible, clear and appropriate

information cost-effectively to a broad cross-section of

stakeholders.

• Websites can also be used for two-way information exchange.

✓

• Can provide a link to any online surveys.

• Can provide lots of targeted information about

planning concepts and planning projects cost-

effectively.

• Can allow community members to ask questions

and receive answers that are accessible to all.

• Maintenance and resource requirements to review

and refresh content, and to monitor and respond to

community comments.

• Opportunity is lost if materials are not presented in

plain language and using simple graphics.

Email feedback

• Email feedback can be an easy way to obtain ideas from the

public on an issue or a range of issues.

• It can be used with an existing website with a feedback system.

✓

• It is quicker than most forms of participation and

may be attractive to those with little time.

• Allows people to ask their specific planning-related

questions and, potentially, have them answered.

This may help to build knowledge about planning

concepts with some community members.

• Emails received must be tracked carefully to make

sure that they are acknowledged and, where this

commitment has been given, responded to.

• A community member may believe that an email is

a properly made submission, when it may not be.

Information hotline

• 1800 number is only the cost of a local call.

✓

• Creates a single point of contact for enquiries and

requests for information.

• Activation required to generate interest.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 34 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

• Allows community members to speak directly to a

planner about their concerns and questions.

Town hall/public meetings

• Important to have a strong chairperson who can make the

meeting flow properly.

• Everyone needs to have a chance to speak.

• Based on a central theme and participants agree on the

important issues.

• Record each discussion and provide a way for participants to

access them at the end of the event.

✓

• Offers the community the opportunity to attend and

have their opinion heard in the one place at the one

time.

• Allows for the most important issues to be raised

and gives people for whom these issues are most

relevant the opportunity to discuss.

• Can enable community members to share issues

and ‘move on’.

• Difficult to get a nuanced understanding from a

single meeting.

• Challenging for quieter community members.

• Tendency to focus on the ‘squeaky wheels’ and

those that are confident enough to speak in front of

a large group.

• Potential for a mob mentality to form, which may

vocally refute the factual planning information that is

being offered.

Telephone survey/polls

• Technique used to obtain structured responses on specific

issues to obtain quantitative measurable results.

✓

• Good way to quickly assess the current awareness

of, and attitude towards, planning issues.

• A simple vote on a topic will give an indication of

the level of local awareness and support.

• Opportunity to capture the views of community

members who may not actively engage in a

planning process or attend public displays or

meetings.

• Provides input from a cross-section of the

community, which can be randomly selected and

provide a statistically valid sample.

• Higher response rate than mailed surveys, as

participants are recruited and researchers continue

until they have achieved their sample size.

• More expensive to deliver, and more labour-

intensive than mailed surveys.

One-on-one interviews

• Involves one person that is tasked with posing a standard set of

questions to individuals.

• Data gathered need to be carefully analysed and reported to

provide an accurate representation of public opinion.

✓

• Provides important qualitative information about

community perceptions of planning projects, or

observations about their local community, at a level

of detail that can be difficult to obtain by any other

method.

• Good way of raising community understanding

about planning concepts.

• Good way of finding and recruiting other community

members who may be able to help with other

engagement techniques.

• Opportunity for in-depth information exchange in a

non-threatening forum.

• More labour-intensive, depending on the number of

community members being interviewed.

• Expensive.

Public displays

(site displays or in community

spaces that attract a lot of

pedestrians)

• Use local venue as a drop-in centre, e.g. a well-known location

such as a library or senior centre or local primary school.

• Run over at least one whole day and evening to enable different

people to access the event.

• People should be able to choose which parts of the event they

would like to participate in.

• Create fun element (games) for children to attract families.

• To be used when you need to present ideas or plans to a broad

cross-section of stakeholders in an area and obtain responses

in an informal way.

✓

• Allows community members to discuss their

concerns about planning projects with local

government planners.

• Allows community members to gather information

about planning projects and processes, and share

their views about these projects.

• A wider cross-section of community members is

able to attend, as people can attend at a time

suitable to them and stay for as long as they wish.

• Opportunity to share accurate information, via

display materials, about planning concepts, and the

planning process and projects.

• Potential for lack of clarity in purpose.

• Requires intensive staff resources.

Small group meetings

• Technique used to generate discussion and insights on aspects

of the project from a known group of stakeholders.

• Need to set a clear agenda and a facilitator who can keep the

group on track.

✓

• Opportunity for planners to have a more detailed

conversation about planning concepts, processes,

and projects with interested community members.

• Provides an opportunity to meet with community

groups that support people with disabilities, older

people, younger people and indigenous people.

• May need to reimburse group members for travel

and offer meals if the workshop lasts longer than

two hours.

• Not a broad sample to draw data from.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 35 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

Community events

(event created for project or

attend an existing community

event, e.g. Brisbane City Council

Your Home and Neighbourhood

Fairs)

• Set up interactive displays at a booth.

• Could use methods such as stickers, comment cards and graffiti

walls to obtain feedback.

✓

• Allows people to make comments and give

feedback on planning information or options

presented to them through display material.

• Useful technique for involving people who are not

used to being consulted on their views.

• Useful technique for involving people who may be

less confident about expressing their views.

• Provides a link between organisations and local

people and encourages long-term involvement by

the community.

• Opportunity to use more engaging tools (e.g.

games and video booths) to discuss planning

concepts.

• Opportunity to take planning project to an event

where community members gather.

• Opportunity to use non-planning-related activities to

encourage people to attend an event where a

planning project will be discussed (e.g. live music,

children’s entertainers, food trucks).

• Activation required to generate interest in attending

the event.

Charrettes

• A charrette is a multi-disciplinary design workshop held over 3-4

days that involves stakeholders, the project team, planning and

design professionals, technical experts and sometimes

community members. Participants work in small groups, each

containing a technical expert, to develop constraints,

opportunities and solutions.

• Identify the problem or opportunity.

• Select suitable cross-disciplinary teams or teams.

• Select an expert panel who can help review output at the end of

the process.

• Brief teams on the charrette process, which aims at delivering

feasible and creative solutions within a short period.

• Plan for a workshop that provides sufficient time for the

designers/planners to work.

• Encourage break-out groups that join the larger group regularly

to present their ideas and approaches.

• Record ideas using on-site graphic recording in a format that

can easily be compiled into a report, using technology such as

GIS mapping tools.

• At the conclusion of the charrette, allow each team to present its

proposed solution to a large audience of the public, planning

professionals, and business and civic leaders.

✓

• Broad consensus of stakeholders and community

representatives in a short period.

• Opportunity to build an understanding of design

processes if community members are able to

observe charrette process.

• Resource heavy but an effective method for

working through complex problems relatively

quickly.

• Lead time is critical for planning, although event

may be short, lead up is resource intensive and is

on average six to eight weeks.

Steering groups

• A steering group is usually made up of high-level stakeholders

or experts who provide guidance on key issues. Usually not

representative of the broader demographic, a steering group is

more a panel of experts who guide decision-making.

• Make clear to members what their likely responsibilities and time

commitments will be.

• Rotate responsibility for chairing each meeting in order to

engender a sense of ownership.

• Include external representatives to allow different perspectives

and a wider experience base.

• Set performance indicators for the group as well as the project.

• Ensure clarity of both individual and group roles.

• Produce minutes that include clear action lists.

• Create time for debate of the issues in the meeting.

• Issue papers at least a week before meetings to allow the

✓

• The purpose of a steering group can vary greatly

from members providing their own feedback or

ideas about planning processes, to members acting

as a conduit between the broader community and

organisation.

• Stakeholder-led decision-making and input over

time, depending on the terms of reference of the

group.

• Defining demographic relevance can be

challenging.

• Consider the power dynamic carefully and whether

all parties are adequately represented.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 36 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

members sufficient preparation time.

Community Reference Groups

(CRG)

• A structured group of stakeholder and community

representatives that meet regularly and operate under terms of

reference.

• Broad-based recruitment. Advertise and promote extensively to

encourage a broad cross-section of representation.

• Set clear parameters on the make-up of the group (stakeholder

groups, citizen participation).

• Have clear terms of reference incorporating purpose and goals,

voting behaviours (incorporating what is a quorum) and

dissolution of the group.

✓

• The purpose of a CRG can vary greatly from

members providing their own feedback or ideas

about a planning project, to members acting as a

conduit between the broader community and

organisation.

• Stakeholder-led decision-making and input over

time, depending on the terms of reference agreed

with local government.

• A relatively slow-paced decision-making process,

governed by terms of reference.

• Can be good for broad consensus, not necessarily

demographically representative.

Citizens’ panels

(Face-to-face and online)

• Large numbers of people who are selected to be representative

of the population and be a part of a panel that deliberates on a

range of issues over a set period. Surveys are distributed during

the time to understand community attitudes, feedback, issues

and behaviour. Can track changes as well.

• Establish the objective and for setting up citizen panels and

what the corresponding reference framework.

• Ask: What is the logic of deliberation, what are the limits?

• Brief participants on the rules of the proceedings.

• Provide experts to the panel.

• Engage independent moderator(s) to assist the process of

deliberation.

• At the agreed time, arrange a presentation from the panel.

• Publish the report and recommendations.

• If the recommendations of the citizen panel are not followed up,

publish the reasons for not following up (this would normally be

done by the commissioning body).

✓

• If the process of recruitment is rigorous, citizens’

panels can be an effective method for securing

input from a representative sample of community

members over time.

• Provides the opportunity for community members to

begin to understand planning concepts and the

planning process.

• Expectation of level of decision-making with a

deliberative process.

• Can be expensive and resource intensive to

manage both recruitment and management time.

Engagement apps,

e.g. CitySwipe (Santa Monica’s

Tinder-style app designed to get

the community involved in

planning processes.)

• To create a mobile platform to engage audiences who are

unlikely to attend traditional engagement events, and to reach

younger or more mobile audiences.

• To provide content in a way that aligns with how communities

are accessing information.

• Can be a good way to engage people who are time poor.

• Requires both a good idea and sound execution planning.

• Provide a clear brief with your intended purpose – i.e. is it to

provide detailed technical details, to support the overall visuals?

• Ensure you provide clear timelines and expectations and have

any technical data readily available to ensure accuracy of

representation.

✓

• A broad range of information types can be loaded

into an app including interactive content.

• Can incorporate immersive elements to enable the

community to see locations in 360 degrees.

• Can gather live data.

• Mobile usage is at an all-time high.

• It is a cost-effective way to engage people where

they are, essentially bringing engagement about

planning processes to people’s pockets.

• As new innovative engagement tools emerge, they

can be loaded into an app, which can function as a

platform for progressive advancements and

additions to the engagement tool.

• Resources to develop content.

• Time to allow for approvals and uploading of apps

to Apple and GooglePlay.

• A degree of technological comfort is required to use

apps.

• This type of technology may not be appropriate for

all comments.

Social media

(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,

Snapchat)

• Calling for ideas through social media platforms.

• Planners can get an idea of what people like and do not like

about an area or idea through comments posted on social

media. This feedback can complement typical surveys, or be a

substitute for surveys.

Facebook:

• Facebook posts should be short, sharp and pose questions to

increase interaction.

• Facebook posts with video content receive the greatest number

of interactions from Facebook users.

✓

• Social media targets an audience not captured by

traditional forms of media.

• More direct format to submit ideas and provide

feedback on planning concepts.

Facebook:

• usage levels are quite high

• good for overcoming geographic constraints.

• relatively easy to create and share information

about a project.

• able to moderate and/or remove comments quickly.

• Consider the type of information needed, and the

social media platform best suited to this. For

example, if you are interested in learning about

view corridors that community members think

warrant protection, Instagram may be a suitable

platform. If you are asking people what their

favourite place is and why, Facebook may be more

suitable.

• Views expressed on social media are public and

unfiltered.

Facebook:

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 37 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

• Twitter offers open access, 140-character limit and requires you

to build a following first.

• Develop a policy for information sharing – the what and the how

• requires a memorable hashtag.

Instagram:

• Instagrammers ‘like’ 1.6 billion updates per day

• Sunday gets the highest interaction levels

• peak time in Australia/New Zealand is 8 pm midweek and 5 pm

weekends

• requires a memorable hashtag

• good for a younger population. Instagram has a younger skew –

37 per cent 18 to 29 year olds; 18 per cent 30–49, 50+ just 7 per

cent (Nielsen Statistics).

Snapchat:

• A photo messaging app where users take photos and videos,

and add text and drawings. Users then send these snaps.

• It is both a messaging platform and a social network.

• Exists only as a mobile phone app.

• community will often self-moderate negative

comments.

Twitter:

• good for raising awareness about project and

planning concepts

• good for media attention and driving traffic to a

website

• provides an opportunity to leverage planners with

large twitter followings by asking them to post

information about the project or planning concepts

Instagram:

• provides visual content, and allows community

members to upload images relevant to the planning

process and project

• gives a face to a project

• has an informal style.

Snapchat:

• users decide how long snaps will last before they

are deleted from the receiver’s devices and

Snapchat’s server

• helps to inform community members and gauge

reaction to issue or planning process

• one of the world’s most popular social apps.

• anonymity and lack of control present a challenge

• requires participants to have a Facebook account

• not always available on corporate or government

domains.

• moderation rules addressing content and etiquette

need to be established.

• monitoring can be labour-intensive.

Twitter:

• not good for deliberation

• need to build a following first

• monitoring can be labour-intensive.

Instagram:

• is so informal it can be difficult to explain technical

concepts.

• may need a substantial financial investment to

maintain visual elements.

Snapchat:

• very popular among teens and young adults

• not so popular with older adults

• ephemeral components of all content that gets

shared, i.e. photos and videos disappear after they

have been viewed by their recipients.

Digital video, e.g. YouTube

• Increasing proportion of internet traffic is going digital video.

• Beware of humour and ensure it is appropriate to your topic.

• Keep the videos short and simple.

• Be aware of the lack of control in relation to comments and have

a plan in place to manage it (YouTube).

✓

• Provides visual content.

• Great for virtual site tours.

• Good for helping to explain complex planning

issues using visual content.

• Gives a face to a project.

• Technology constraints: speed of access.

• Informal style.

• Lack of control over comments (YouTube).

Online survey tools such as

Survey Monkey

• A quick and effective way to get a snapshot of community

sentiment.

• Prepare questions.

• Consider your promotion – how will the community know about

it?

✓

• Good for fast data and community sentiment in

relation to emergent planning issues.

• Quantitative data.

• Relatively cost effective.

• No complexity of data.

• No opportunity to interrogate data in more detail.

Hard-copy surveys/

questionnaires

• Standard set of open and/or closed questions to a wide range of

people.

• Conducted through face-to-face interviews, self-completion

written forms, over the phone, or electronically via the internet or

email.

• Technique used to obtain structured responses on specific

issues and to obtain quantitative and/or qualitative results.

✓

• Popular method of collecting point-in-time

qualitative and quantitative information from a

population.

• Good way to find out opinions of local people on a

particular planning topic in a structured way that

can be extensively analysed.

• Good way to inform people about the project.

• Good way to reach many people and involve those

who may not be able to engage in other ways.

• Input from those who may not attend a public

meeting.

• Provides a mechanism for extending a mailing list.

• Provides a cross-section of the community, not only

activists.

• Response rate can be low.

• To get statistically valid results, can be labour-

intensive and expensive.

• Level of detail may be limited.

• Less effective in obtaining responses to complex

issues.

• Effective analysis of data can be labour-intensive

and requires a high level of expertise.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 38 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

Online polling

• A quick and effective way to get a snapshot of community

sentiment.

• Prepare questions.

✓

• Good for fast data and community sentiment in

relation to emergent planning issues.

• Quantitative data.

• Relatively cost effective.

• No complexity of data.

• No opportunity to interrogate data in more detail.

Online deliberative forums

• Recruitment is critical.

• Consider the rules of the forum.

• Transparency with moderation guidelines.

• Consider the pros and cons of an open or closed forum – i.e. if

participants need to formally register.

✓

• Useful in explaining planning concepts which

participants have a chance to explore in their own

time.

• Great potential for detailed qualitative data.

• Licensing agreements can reduce costs.

• Can be expensive – consider if you require all the

functionality on offer.

• What data do you require and in what format?

• What are the technical requirements in relation to

your existing website?

• How will you manage moderation?

• Will registration affect your engagement process?

• Will it deliver value for money?

• Do you need visuals?

• How technologically savvy do you need to be to use

it?

Gamefication

• Gamefication is the use of game-thinking and game mechanics

in a non-game context to engage users in solving problems.

✓

• Can provide a fun way to encourage community

participation and greater community understanding

of planning concepts.

• Helps users to explore scenarios, understand the

impacts of planning choices, or to understand

different perspectives.

• Is it appropriate to your engagement purpose?

• Will the concept or idea be compelling enough for

people to play it?

Virtual reality

• Virtual reality is a completely created virtual world that people

can be transported to using specific equipment.

✓

• Provides an immersive experience where people

can experience what a development will look like

before it’s constructed.

• Can incorporate smart city monitoring data.

• Rudimentary forms of virtual reality are already

being used by some Queensland councils.

• Some property developers are already familiar with

the technology, using it as a marketing tool.

• Extensive cost and time requirements, which may

make it unfeasible for smaller councils.

• Requires special tools (such as headsets) to view

models.

• There is a potential to manipulate information as

parts of the existing physical world can be removed

in the virtual world.

Mixed reality (including

augmented reality)

• Instead of a created virtual world, augmented reality takes the

real world and alters it.

• Existing drawings are used to create virtual fly-throughs or

augmented reality to give a clear picture of a proposed project.

• With technology costs reducing this can be an effective way of

providing visual understanding of a project.

• Look for a technology provider with experience in property and

planning.

• Provide a clear brief with your intended purpose, so that the

product achieves what is intended.

• Ensure you provide clear timelines and expectations and have

any technical data readily available to ensure accuracy of

representation.

✓

• A cost-effective method for demonstrating what a

project will look like on the ground.

• Mixed reality requires less 3D modelling than virtual

reality, as only the elements being proposed are

shown.

• Because the real-world is not being re-created

virtually, there is a less opportunity to conceal

reality.

• Shows the public what is proposed before it is built.

• Levels of detail can vary from basic massing

models to highly detailed architectural models.

• Architectural models are created for many

developments that warrant community engagement.

These models can be easily converted to

augmented reality models that can be viewed on

any smart phone, e.g. 3Ds Max.

• Communicates proposals in a realistic way, and

people can see what the development will look like

from their point of view.

• Projects that have integrated mixed reality have

been successful.

• Requires detailed computer-aided design drawings

to be meaningful.

• Needs to work in conjunction with other methods to

capture data.

• Quality of finished product can vary greatly.

• There is a perception that mixed reality takes time

and is expensive to develop, and that any benefits

are outweighed by these costs.

• Benefits are not apparent to developers and local

government.

• Limited by weather as the tool cannot be used in

rain or very sunny conditions.

• Mixed reality requires a smart device to be able to

view it.

Animation software

• Animation software allows for the creation of motion on a frame-

by-frame basis. Each frame is the equivalent of a single drawing

or image

✓

• Communicates proposals and concepts in a new

way, potentially appealing to a new audience.

• Information tends to focus on essential messages,

• Animations require more time, effort and cost to

make than more traditional tools.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 39 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

• The frames are strung together and can be viewed back

seamlessly in movie format. The resulting frames are

transferred to a hard drive or USB stick for presentation to the

community.

• Two types of animation software exist: 2-dimensional (has width

and height) and 3-dimensional (has width, height and depth).

expressed as simply as possible.

Online deliberative forums

• Online platforms that can host information about a project,

surveys that explore community sentiment about aspects of a

project, and forums that enable community members to post

comments and engage in conversation about the project.

✓

• These platforms and forums have proved

successful in community-led forms (e.g. Skyscraper

City).

• These platforms provide a way for people to

communicate with planners and local government

that reflects the contemporary ways they

communicate with families, friends and peers.

• While moderation of a site is often not required,

some local governments may choose to moderate

forums. Where this occurs in online forums, clear

guidance needs to be provided about the focus of

the discussion and the ‘ground rules’ for this

discussion.

• There is less accountability for community members

because of the ‘faceless’ nature of online platforms,

and the degree of anonymity that community

members feel that they have.

• Online discussion platforms often attract community

members that are interested, and potentially

passionate, about planning projects.

Data visualisation software

• Data visualisation software helps people understand the

significance of data by placing it in a visual context.

• Visualisation tools go beyond the standard charts and graphs

used in Microsoft Excel, displaying data in more sophisticated

ways such as infographics, heat maps and fever charts.

✓

• Provided the information has been captured, the

infographics are easy to produce.

• Allows key facts to be clearly and directly

communicated.

• Makes complex data more accessible,

understandable and usable.

• Software can be built to alert users when data have

been updated.

• The information that can be conveyed is limited.

3D modelling and fly-throughs

• 3D models allow users to view what a planning scheme or local

area might look like. These models can be used to create highly

realistic visual worlds. They also have ‘fly-through’ functionality

allowing users to fly through and view different aspects of the

system.

• 3D models are based on geographic information system

technology and can display a range of information such as

geological terrain, road networks, building heights and flights

paths.

• This software provides an invaluable tool for explaining

development guidelines and legislation.

✓

• Cheaper and easier to create than virtual reality and

mixed reality models.

• Already commonly used to help people visualise

proposals particularly for infrastructure projects.

• Requires 3D modelling of landscapes, similar to

virtual reality. Therefore fly-throughs also have the

potential to represent inaccurate versions of the

existing landscape.

• Fly-throughs often heavily feature bird’s-eye views,

which do not represent the pedestrian or resident

experience of an area.

• While more cost-effective than some tools, can still

be expensive to create.

• Production requires specialist knowledge.

3D printing

• 3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid

objects from a digital file (a computer-aided design model file or

AMF file).

✓

• Provides a tactile medium to help people improve

spatial understanding.

• Allows people to see the spaces that are being

discussed in 3D. This can highlight constraints that

are not apparent when looking at 2D maps.

• Currently expensive to deliver, although cost is

reducing.

• 3D printed models need to be experienced in-

person.

• Takes time to print.

Online participatory mapping

• Participatory mapping is a community-based mapping system

that combines modern cartography with participatory methods to

represent the spatial knowledge of local communities.

• Participatory maps represent a socially or culturally distinct

understanding of the landscape and contain information not

usually included on official maps.

• Maps created by local communities show elements that

communities perceive as important, such as customary land

✓

• Allows people to provide comments that directly

relate to a space or location of current

environments.

• Interactive.

• Captures information in 2D.

• Current providers have made all contributions

public, so contributors can see comments made by

others.

• There is limited ability to filter contributions.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 40 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

boundaries and sacred areas.

Wiki ideas

• Wikipedia for planning documents (i.e. a plan anyone can edit).

• Typically made publicly available, and anyone who is willing to

create a login has full rights to edit or comment on content.

✓

• Allows co-creation of plans.

• Provides a line of sight between comments and

final outcomes.

• Allows input directly into planning documents,

saving time for the submitter and reviewer.

• Limited number of software providers (e.g.

Collabforge, Google docs, X wiki and Objective

Keystone).

• May be difficult to export plans, and track or

consolidate similar comments, depending on the

provider selected.

Online polling

• Online polling is a type of opinion survey or questionnaire where

community members self-select to participate.

✓

• Online polls can be created to allow anyone to

participate or they can be targeted to a smaller

sample.

• Participants in online polls are generally interested

community members.

• The sample size can depend on how well the poll is

advertised.

• The results of the poll may not be completely

representative of the subject community.

QR code

• A QR Code can be used on signage at important sites or

locations. If used, the QR Code can link people to online

engagement platforms, so that they can obtain more information

or provide comments.

• The QR code is a machine-readable code used for storing

URLs, geo coordinates and text that can be read by a camera

on a smartphone

✓

• The QR code is an easy way of keeping the

community up to date.

• The QR code can be read easily and it doesn’t take

long to install the QR reader on a smartphone.

• Community members require a smart phone to read

a QR code.

Social media monitoring

• Social media monitoring allows planners to observe the

conversation occurring in communities, relating to locations (e.g.

@cairns) or key terms (e.g. #BNECityWest).

✓

• Captures information from a medium people are

already using.

• Monitoring can determine what is, and what is not,

valued in an area.

• Can solicit and capture honest, sometimes casual,

opinion, which people may not deem significant

enough to include in a formal submission.

• Can encourage involvement of specific

demographic groups not usually represented in

traditional engagement processes.

• Tools such as SMARTA have successfully

monitored social media for planning purposes.

• Opinions expressed through social media may not

be considered legitimate or properly made

submissions.

• Limited scope to filter ‘unwanted’ opinions or fringe

views.

Zone cards

• Zone cards provide information to the community about a

particular planning scheme land use or zone.

• These cards can be uploaded onto the internet in an electronic

format or handed out in hard-copy format at community

engagement events.

✓

• Provides a medium to help people understand

information in an easy-to-read format.

• Not interactive.

Hackathons

• Hackathons are creative problem-solving forums, traditionally

aimed at developing tech-based solutions to problems.

• A hackathon is an event of any duration where people (i.e.

usually groups of 2–5 individuals) come together to solve

problems.

✓

• Hackathons can be targeted to respond to a

specific planning concern or issue.

• New participants need clear instructions on how to

participate in a hackathon.

• The hackathon is unlikely to solve the problem at

hand immediately, as ideas often need to be further

developed.

• Hackathons need to be led by a facilitator or a

subject matter expert

World cafe

• Structured process where participants discuss a question or

series of questions at small tables.

• Each table has a host who facilitates the same conversation

during a number of rounds.

• At the end of each round the group disperse and finds another

table, or question, to discuss.

✓

• Encourages participants to share ideas and

concerns with a broad range of people.

• Requires experienced, or capable, small group

facilitators to host each table.

• Requires appropriate data capture techniques.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 41 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

Public art session

• Facilitation techniques that encourage community members to

participate in planning processes using art to express their

ideas.

• Art can be used to capture input from younger people (e.g. early

childhood or primary-school aged children). This input could

relate to neighbourhood planning (e.g. a new look for a

community, street or park).

✓

• Includes people who communicate better through

drawing or art.

• Can be used to illustrate the community’s vision of

how a neighbourhood may look.

• Level of participation depends on community

members being comfortable to draw or create art to

explain their opinions or describe their vision.

Tactical urbanism

• Low-cost interventions delivered to help community members

experience proposed changes as a trial before they are

implemented. Typically, changes relate to activating

streetscapes, and public and community spaces.

–

Interventions could include:

–

temporary plantings

–

temporary bike lanes

–

chair bombing

–

parking day

–

pop-up retail.

• Also known as guerrilla urbanism or pop-up urbanism.

✓

• Community members can experience proposed

changes personally.

• Level of participation depends on ability for

community to provide feedback on temporary

initiatives, and local government’s ability to act on

feedback.

Expert panel

• Established when specialised input is required for a project.

• Experts are identified and engaged to debate and discuss the

project and its challenges, and make recommendations.

• Community members are able to read recommendations of

expert panel.

✓

• Effective when the planning issue is contentious or

complex.

• Useful to capture credible opinions in relation to

contentious issue.

• Not as interactive or visible to the community.

• Can be expensive to engage experts.

• Skilled facilitator required, and may not be available

in-house.

Online workshop

• Open invitation workshop designed to gather people in an online

space to hear from experts, and ask questions in relation to a

specific project or process.

✓

• Provides an opportunity for community members

that are reluctant or unable to participate in a

workshop in person.

• Interested community members need to have

internet access to participate.

• Many online workshop platforms have been created

for the education sector. Investment may be

required for platform to address community

expectations about opportunity to be involved.

• Thorough data analysis processes are required.

Community workshop

• Open invitation workshop designed to gather people from a

community together to discuss a specific project or process.

• Many workshop techniques can be successfully applied to

capture community knowledge to inform a planning process.

✓

• Depending on the workshop design and the

problem being discussed, community workshops

can be used to inform, consult, involve or

collaborate.

• Opportunity to capture knowledge from interested

community members, rather than just those

community members that typically get invited to

represent community sectors as part pf planning

workshops.

• Opportunity to recruit through an open invitation or

to target a statistically valid random sample.

• Needs to be designed to be scalable (i.e. the

workshop process is successful regardless of how

many or how few community members attend).

• Typically, expert facilitation skills are required,

depending on numbers. These skills may not be

available in-house.

• Requires activation to encourage people to attend

(e.g. print, radio and online advertising).

• Thorough data capture and recording processes

are required.

Community radio

• A way to provide information on specific issue or initiative to a

broad audience. Through community service announcements,

advertising or interviews.

• Independent media with broad reach across Queensland,

although concentrated on east coast.

• Cater to a diverse audience including:

–

Indigenous Australians

–

multicultural communities

–

religious communities

–

people with print disability

✓

• Described by the Community Broadcasting

Association of Australia as Australia’s largest

independent media sector.

• Independent media run by not-for-profit community-

owned organisations.

• Provides access to groups that are typically harder

to reach through mainstream media.

• Stations largely staffed by volunteers, so

information and engagement process must appeal

to them.

• Hard to monitor effectiveness.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 42 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

–

music, arts and cultural services communities

–

younger people

–

older people

–

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer

communities.

Blogs

• Series of online posts about a planning project or engagement

process.

• Community can make comments, and share among their own

networks.

• Content can help to raise awareness and promote a ‘call to

action’ to participate in the engagement process.

✓

• Choice of author can add credibility to the

information being shared, particularly where the

blogger is a known thought leader or respected

community member.

• Blogs can build a following over time.

• Comments on blogs can provide insight into

community sentiment about particular issues.

• Cost effective to produce.

• To build a following, blogs need to be consistently

written and distributed.

• Ability to access blogs depends on access to

technology, which may be difficult for some groups

in the community.

Market research

• Delivery of a survey instrument to capture community opinion

about planning and development issues.

• Delivery methodology can ensure that a random sample of

community members are approached, or that specific

demographic groups or locations are targeted if required.

• Captures quantitative data.

✓

• Sample size can be designed to be both randomly

selected, and statistically valid. This can add

credibility to the quality of data captured, particularly

where research topic is contentious (e.g.

community opinion about impacts of development

or increases in density).

• Anonymity of contribution can encourage

community members to be honest with their

opinions about controversial topics.

• Allows capture of quantitative data that can ‘ground

truth’ qualitative data captured through other

engagement tools.

• Provides a way to access community members that

do not usually choose to engage in planning

processes (i.e. the ‘silent majority’).

• Can provide insight into community reactions to

potentially contentious planning issues.

• Cost depends on delivery method, sample size or

provider.

• Research delivery method does not typically enable

opportunity for discussion of issues with community

members.

Conversation kits

• Self-guided discussion that allows interested community

members to explore, and contribute to, planning processes at

their own pace and at a location of their choice.

✓

• Allows community members to engage in a

conversation about planning processes and

concepts in an environment that they feel

comfortable in.

• Helps to build social networks within the

community.

• If background information is well designed and easy

to understand, community awareness and

understanding of planning concepts will improve.

• Kits can be designed for use in school

environments.

• Relies on community members being motivated to

access and use kit, and capture and submit a

record of the conversation.

• Success relies on comprehensive promotion of the

kit.

Deliberative polling

• Structured process where randomly selected participants meet

over two to three days to explore a topic. As part of this process

their opinions are polled. Results of the poll are shared with the

participants and also publicly. Polling can also be undertaken

before the meeting and after.

✓

• Iterative polling provides insight into changes in

community opinion because of deliberation in

relation to a topic.

• Can help to generate solutions.

• Can provide insight into community perceptions

about particular, potentially contentious, planning

issues.

• Depending on polling platform, and method of

randomly selecting participants, can be expensive

to deliver.

• Requires a significant time commitment from

community members to attend meeting and

participate in polling process.

Community summit

• An event, typically held over one or two days, that brings

together many participants to explore and discuss an issue.

Summits can include a range of interactive, collaborative and

deliberative tools and techniques. Participants can either be

selected or self-nominate, depending on approach.

✓

• The approach to participant selection can range

from invitation-only, directly invited randomly

selected community members, self-nominated, or a

combination of all three of these approaches.

• The selection of engagement techniques

incorporated as part of the summit is dependent on

the purpose of the event and the budget.

• Event needs to incorporate feedback processes, so

that the whole group can understand what has been

discussed.

• Based on scale and number of participants, event

can be expensive to stage.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 43 of 89

Activity

Detail

Level of participation

Benefits

Considerations

• Depending on approach and topic, summits can

attract considerable media interest.

Information maze

• An open house, open invitation, informal event that provides

information relating to a range of topics and issues. Participants

can choose to get involved in the topics that interest them.

• Multiple engagement techniques can be used as part of the

maze to encourage and capture conversation.

✓

• Open invitation, so all interested community

members can attend.

• Selection of engagement techniques depends on

the nature of the topic and the purpose of the

engagement process.

• Food and entertainment can be provided to

encourage attendance. If this is the case, event

could also be referred to as a festival or a fair.

• Based on scale and number of interested

participants, events could be expensive to hold.

• Robust information-capture processes need to be in

place.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 44 of 89

Online engagement

The evolution of digital communication is changing the way people are communicating with

organisations and government regarding important issues.

Online engagement enables people to contribute anytime they want, 24/7, and wherever they

want. These benefits encourage people to take part in discussions and provide organisations with

access to a wide range of stakeholder groups. As well as accessibility, and providing access to a

large community audience, online platforms can also be interactive, playable, and highly visual.

These platforms can also provide the community with real-time information and are portable, if the

community member has a smart phone.

The following are some key benefits of engaging with your stakeholders online:

•

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 83 per cent of Australian homes have internet

access (in 2013).

No other engagement technique can offer this level of accessibility.

•

Most people don’t have the time to get active in their community and go in-person to town

meetings and consultations. Online engagement makes it convenient for people to get

involved.

•

Online engagement provides an accessible option for getting all kinds of people involved in

your conversations: busy people, working parents, younger people, senior citizens, shift

workers and mobility, vision or hearing-impaired people. Everyone can have their say.

•

Online engagement tools can bring more people into conversations that affect their community.

•

The online environment provides a secure space for people to learn and test assumptions,

positions and options.

•

Online engagement systems are cost-effective and efficient. You can engage with more

participants directly, at less cost.

•

Online engagement can change an organisation’s culture by improving organisational

transparency and responsiveness.

•

Online engagement tools support community ownership at all levels of the engagement

spectrum, from ‘informed’ through to ‘empowered’.

Taken from Bang the Table: http://bangthetable.com/2015/06/15/10-reasons-to-engage-your-community-online/

This figure rose to 86% in 2016 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics

(http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/8146.0).

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 45 of 89

As with any form of engagement, caution should always be exercised to ensure that the right tools

are being selected. Some downsides to online engagement that need to be considered are:

•

Stakeholders without access to the internet will be excluded unless special accommodation is

made for them.

•

A moderator should be allocated to manage the process and respond to questions promptly.

•

Privacy concerns should be addressed to encourage participation.

There is not one perfect way to engage with stakeholders, and needs will change depending on the

groups and issues needing to be addressed. Using more than one technique in your engagement

process will pave the way to increased stakeholder participation, and stronger relations with your

community.

Online engagement platforms

There are various platforms available to host your online engagement, some of which local

councils are already using. Platforms offer the capability to engage stakeholders in a collaborative

environment that encourages learning, discussion and debate.

Some popular platforms are:

•

Engagement Hub

•

Engagement HQ

•

CitizenSpace

•

MindMixer.

Email marketing

Email marketing allows you to reach target markets quickly without high production costs. Email

lists can be segmented based on certain criteria, allowing you to issue customised information.

Some popular email marketing tools are:

•

Vision6

•

MailChimp.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 46 of 89

Creative ideas: What’s trending in this space?

Technology is developing rapidly. We are living in an age where people are more connected than

ever before, with smart phone ownership increasing. Community engagement is embracing

technological advancements with practitioners and software developers are constantly finding

ways to advance online or digital engagement tools.

The pace of technological change makes it difficult for any toolkit to remain current, and online and

digital tools can date very quickly. This pace of change can also

be difficult for community members, who are expected to be

able to use the latest online and digital platforms. When

designing engagement processes, it is important to leverage

recent technology and tools, but it is equally important to

maintain the human elements that allow community members to

have a conversation and build connections.

Citizensourcing

Citizensourcing is a growing crowdsourcing practice applied by

governments around the world with the goal of tapping into the

collective intelligence of citizens. It allows governments to

collect ideas, suggestions and opinions from their citizens,

thereby creating a permanent feedback loop of communication.

Citizenlab describes it in this way:

Imagine that your town hall meetings could be held

online … but 24/7, accessible from every possible

device. Citizensourcing on a dedicated platform is a way

for cities to get valuable input in the form of ideas,

feedback and opinions from their citizens.

Early success stories given by Citzenlab are:

•

MiMedellín allows citizens to share their solutions for urban

problems faced by the Columbian city Medellín. More than

2300 ideas were collected, which directly led to the

development of policies that reflected community desires.

•

More than 60 per cent of citizens in the Icelandic capital

Reykjavik have been able to provide ideas and influence city

council spending through citizensourcing website, Better

Reykjavik. Since its introduction, €1.9 million has been

spent on developing more than 200 projects.

•

‘Madame Mayor, I have an idea’ was another successful

platform that allowed people in Paris to suggest projects the

city government could bring to life. One of these was a

vertical garden project, which received more than 20,000

votes and resulted in a €2 million investment.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 47 of 89

Participatory budgeting

This is an area that is gaining momentum, with more than 1500 participatory budgets around the

world.

The process defines different ways to manage public money and to engage people in

government. It’s a process that enables the community to directly decide how to spend part of a

public budget. The idea is based on the concept of the community brainstorming spending ideas,

developing proposals and voting on ideas, with the government implementing the top projects.

Some success stories are:

•

New York City Council Districts, US: New York City is host to the largest participatory budget in

the United States in terms of participants and budget amount. First introduced in four council

districts in 2011, the annual participatory budgeting process now spans 24 council districts and

residents directly decide how to spend $25 million in capital discretionary funds.

•

Durham City Council, UK: The council has implemented participatory budgeting and has

aligned it to local priorities as a result of consultation on the council’s budget.

Online interactive mapping and priorities

There are several online platforms that provide tools to engage people in planning processes. The

MoPac South Project in Austin Texas used the Context Sensitive Solutions planning approach to

seek community input to a corridor study.

Through the online platform, community members could see examples of, and prioritise, design

elements that were important to them. Based on their choices, participants were then asked to

review and rate multiple examples of each design element. For example, if they chose public art as

a design element, they were then shown five examples of public art and asked to rate them.

Participants were also invited to indicate on a map the places they visited and the improvements

they would like made. They could achieve this by dropping and dragging themed pins onto the

map.

A similar online platform supported the development of the Byron Bay Town Centre Master Plan.

An interactive mapping tool allowed community members to add their favourite and least favourite

places to the map, indicating which places needed to change or be kept, and places they felt were

unique. Participants were also able to upload photos of their favourite places and were encouraged

to rate and comment on photos other users had uploaded.

Mobile applications

The Californian city of Santa Monica is using a mobile application, which the Guardian has dubbed

‘tinder for urban planning’. This app shows users images of potential scenarios (such as images of

street furniture) and asks simple questions, such as: Do you want more of this? Community

members can swipe left or right to record their response.

Downtown Santa Monica Inc., the non-profit organisation that manages the downtown Santa

Monica area, is using this application to explore community attitudes to more complex planning

concerns, including active transport, housing and public art.

Some organisations are exploring how technology can help innovation in the planning system.

Future Cities Catapult launched the Future of Planning program in 2016. The aim of this program is

to look at how ‘design, data and digital tools can update how planning is conducted’ in the United

Kingdom and around the world. To support the launch of this program, the organisation published

‘Future of Planning: State of the Art Digital Planning’, which presents a range of case studies

showing how technology is being used to support planning processes around the world.

Participatory Budgeting: www.participatorybudgeting.org/

Urban Interactive Studio: http://urbaninteractivestudio.com/projects/

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 48 of 89

Part 4: Engaging with specific groups

When undertaking community engagement, consider how the needs of different community groups

can be accommodated. Queensland’s communities comprise a broad diversity of people with

different backgrounds, needs, values and aspirations. Observable and unobservable, they include

culture, gender, age, socio-economic background, values, language, and physical and mental

ability.

This broad definition of diversity goes beyond the concept of rectifying the disadvantage of target

groups by emphasising the importance of an inclusive culture and valuing differences between

individuals and communities. While the aim is to be inclusive in all our work, at times it may be

necessary to tailor engagement processes and activities to enable some communities or

individuals to fully participate on an equal basis with others.

Tool 4.1: Overview checklist for engaging with specific groups



Identify local representatives

: Have you worked with local representatives of

diverse groups and those with particular needs to identify stakeholders and to make

sure that the engagement process provides opportunities for all individuals to

participate?



Communicate consistently and frequently

: Have you communicated consistently

and frequently throughout the engagement process through local networks? Harder

to reach groups are less likely to respond to general advertisements and more likely

to respond to calls to action promoted through the networks that they trust. It is also

important to note that while some diverse communities and groups with particular

needs have embraced technology, and the engagement tools that come with it,

others prefer more traditional methods of communication.



Provide smaller meeting opportunities

: Have you provided a range of

opportunities for small gatherings? Smaller meetings, rather than large meetings or

individual meetings, may enable greater participation by people with communication

or cognitive barriers.



Timing and location of meetings

: Have you arranged the time and location of

meetings to enable participation of all groups, including those with particular needs?



Accessible meeting locations and venues

: Have you considered the location of

the meeting and the accessibility of the building, room and facilities for people with

disability or mobility issues? The meeting should be held close to public transport,

where available, and parking so that all participants have a range of transport

options. The building, the room, accessible toilets and any other facilities connected

with engagement activities (such as meetings and displays) need to be accessible

for people with disability and people with mobility issues. There may also be a need

to help with, and provide extra time for, transport to the venue or to provide other

support to encourage people to attend meetings.



Venues should enhance the ability to listen and concentrate, and be free of features

that might trigger conditions that limit the ability to participate. You could also ask

people with a disability if they need a support worker to help them during the

meeting.



Accessible and respectful information

: Have you ensured that information is

accessible for everyone? Engagement materials need to be well designed and

accessible. Improving accessibility can include using plain language, Auslan or

translation interpreting services, hearing loops, captions in digital video, translated

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 49 of 89

materials, or graphics that explain complex concepts simply, and providing access to

interpreters. If you use a presentation, remember to provide it to visually impaired

participants electronically in rtf or pdf formats, as well as explaining what’s on each

slide so they can follow the presentation.



The language used when referring to people with particular needs should be free of

words and phrases that stereotype, stigmatise or demean these individuals.



Working with existing community networks

: Have you tapped into community

networks, and built the capacity of individuals within those networks to participate in

discussions about planning concepts? Individuals with this improved capacity to

discuss planning concepts are then able to share the information with their networks.

This grassroots approach works with a range of diverse groups, including those with

particular needs.



Time to participate

: Have you considered whether particular groups need more, or

less, time to meet? Some groups, such as people with communication or cognitive

difficulties, will require more time to express their views. In these cases, it may be

useful to meet separately with community representatives, carers and support

people to explain the topics to be discussed and determine how much time may be

required. Other groups may need events to be kept short for those who need care

and for carers who often have limited time away from their responsibilities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can meaningfully participate in and

benefit from engagement in planning processes is an important consideration. There are a number

of resources that provide historical and contextual information to better inform engagement

practices with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as broader community

engagement practices.

The following tool draws from information provided in the range of resources summarised in this

part of the toolkit, or listed in the References section. When preparing a communication strategy or

engagement plan, or designing specific consultation activities to involve Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander communities, these resources provide additional information and assistance.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 50 of 89

Tool 4.2: Checklist for engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities



Understand cultural, social and political contexts

: Have you identified people

within your organisation that understand the social, cultural and political contexts of

the place that you are engaging about and the people that you are engaging with?

Cultural competency, appropriate skills and attitudes, and an understanding of the

social and cultural contexts of place and ‘country’ are important to build trust and

enhance engagement processes. This is all part of understanding the community

that you will be working with, the relationships that exist within the community, and

how the community is connected to external stakeholders. As part of this process,

you could locate or create a community profile to help you understand the

community and possible issues. (See 4.5, for a resource that can help with this

activity.)

Where necessary, identify people in other organisations that can help you

understand local context, communication preferences, protocols and channels,

and the key groups and individuals to contact.



Identify local groups and individuals

: Have you identified local organisations

and groups that represent, or work with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

communities and individuals? Have you identified key individuals within the

community?

It is important to identify Indigenous people with rights and interests in a place,

especially those that are authorised to speak for a place. This should include men

and women because they may be responsible for different heritage places and

values.

Working in partnership with organisations that work with, or represent, Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities will help to make sure that

the needs and interests of these people are captured and addressed as part of

your work.

It is important, where possible, to attend the regular meetings of these groups, as

well as inviting representatives of these groups to be part of your process. It is also

useful, where possible, to obtain guidance from Elders. Indigenous leaders can

encourage people to be part of an engagement process, and this may also give

you some credibility in the community.



Test your engagement approach

: Have you engaged with key groups and

individuals to test the appropriateness of your proposed engagement methods?

This will help to build community ownership of the approach. For example, asking

for written responses may not be the most appropriate way to capture feedback in

some communities. You may also need to consider the need for an impartial

facilitator to help you establish behavioural ground rules when working with a

community.



Communicate effectively

: Have you established where Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander people want to meet, and developed different ways to

communicate? Generally, to communicate effectively you need to consider:



using clear language, with jargon, acronyms and technical terms clearly

explained, and consider the first spoken language particularly in remote

communities



the different meaning of words in different communities

Adapted from information found at www.dpmc.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/communicating-

aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-audiences

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 51 of 89



using a range of channels including talking posters, community radio and

other Indigenous media, and audio and verbal methods if the community is in

a remote area



using local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and stories to share

your messages, and using culturally specific elements including language,

talent, design and music



gender-specific protocols and sensitivities



literacy and numeracy skills



actively providing information as some communities will wait to receive

information directly



most Indigenous languages are oral and cannot be translated into written form



staying in the community before and after engagement activities to allow more

informal dialogue to continue



listening to people and taking the time to make sure that it is all right for you to

speak freely.



Time

: Have you provided enough time and a flexible timeframe? Concepts of time

and timeliness differ across cultures, and responses to community issues and

events can affect logistical arrangements to engage with particular communities

(e.g. community participation in Sorry Business). In more remote areas, the timing

of visits to local communities should be driven by those communities.



Culturally appropriate behaviour

: Have you identified the culturally appropriate

way to behave when meeting with Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders? This

can include understanding:



protocols about Men’s and Women’s Business (including how to store any

information that is collected that relates to either Men’s or Women’s Business,

as well as whether it is acceptable to store this information)



protocols about Sorry Business



the established order in which people can speak or contribute



the swear words may be accepted as part of the conversation



that humour could be misunderstood



the need to dress respectfully



the need to use formal addresses and acknowledge older people and Elders



that silence is a common communication style in many communities, and may

have different meanings in different communities



the importance of listening and not asking too many questions



local body language protocols, particularly in relation to eye contact, body

contact and personal space



local protocols for relaxation after work, if staying in the community.

 
Community engagement toolkit for planning            Page 52 of 89 
Resource 4.1: Communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences  
Communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences is a resource published by the 
Australian Government in 2016 that details matters that should be considered when 
communicating in specific mediums including print, online, by television and radio.  
This resource can be accessed online at www.dpmc.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-
affairs/communicating-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-audiences.  
Resource 4.2: Closing the gap – Engagement with Indigenous communities in key sectors 
(resource sheet no. 23) 
This is an Australian Government publication that provides information about what engagement 
activities should be considered in the context of making or amending a planning scheme. The 
resource sheet highlights consultation elements that have proven effective in the past and details 
those that have not been effective when consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 
communities.  
This resource can be accessed online at 
www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Publications/2013/ctgc-rs23.pdf. 
Resource 4.3: Know your community – Key insights into Aboriginal and Torres Strait 
Islander Queenslanders 
This is an online tool that enables anyone to build a community profile containing information and 
data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities across Queensland. 
Know your community has been developed by the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait 
Islander Partnerships and the Queensland Government Statistician's Office. 
Whether developing a planning scheme or preparing an engagement plan for a particular local 
government area, the tool provides accurate and consistent information that can be used to inform 
consultation processes. It is regularly updated.  
This resource can be accessed online at www.datsip.qld.gov.au/people-communities/know-your-
community.  
Resource 4.4: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s engagement toolkit  
Prepared by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2012, this is a comprehensive resource 
that provides information on consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities 
including background history and guiding principles for effective engagement. This resource also 
includes a directory of contacts that, while dated, could help to locate appropriate Indigenous 
language and communication services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media 
organisations.  
This resource can be accessed online at 
www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/pdf/about/Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Str
ait%20Islander%20Peoples%20Engagement%20Toolkit%202012%20(pdf).  
Resource 4.5: Protocols for consultation and negotiation with Aboriginal people and proper 
communication with Torres Strait Islander people 
These two documents outline Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander society and history, and the 
protocols that should be followed during consultation and negotiation. They specifically outline an 
approach to community visits, formal meetings, and evaluation. Dating from 1998, some of the 
information, such as agency and committee names and contact details, is now no longer current. 
These resources can be accessed online at www.datsip.qld.gov.au/people-communities/protocols-
consultation. 
   

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 53 of 89

Older people

Older people have helped shape the society that we enjoy today. They also have considerable

professional knowledge and life experience to share through engagement processes.

Demographers usually refer to older people as 50 years and above. For the first time in history,

three generations form this cohort: the 50–70 year olds, the 70–85 year olds, and those over 85

years. Given the diversity of this group, it is important to challenge ageist stereotypes. The younger

cohort of 50 to 70 year olds is likely to be active, healthy and working or volunteering, and

therefore more able to tap-into community engagement activities without support.

In Queensland, nearly 660,000 people are aged over 65 years, representing 14 per cent of the

population. By 2036, almost 20 per cent of Queenslanders will be aged over 65 years.

Many of the groups representing older people indicate that engagement processes need to include

traditional means for communication such as hard-copy materials in larger fonts, face-to-face

meetings and displays. While many older people have embraced technology, there are many that

have not and engagement processes that rely heavily on online tools can preclude these

individuals from participating and sharing their knowledge.

To increase the participation of older people in engagement processes, work with the networks

they are part of and that support them. These grassroots networks can promote events, distribute

background information or capture input for inclusion in an engagement process.

Retired people appreciate being able to attend local engagement events that are held during the

day and provide good hospitality. They are more likely to engage in activities where they can speak

to a planner or engagement professional.

Engagement materials need to be accessible with strong visual elements. Hard-copy materials are

preferred by some older people, and this demographic accesses traditional media such as

newspapers, radio and television.

The following tool should be used in conjunction with Tool 4.1. It provides more specific guidance

in relation to engaging with older people, particularly those that are more than 70 years of age.

These tools draw from information contained in a range of resources listed in the References

section including the Youth Affairs Council of South Australia’s Better Together: A practical guide

to effective engagement with older people. This guide can be accessed online at

www.bettertogether.sa.gov.au.

Tool 4.3: Checklist for engaging with older people



Identify and work with local groups

: Have you identified and contacted

representatives of local groups? Contacting these groups will allow you to test your

engagement approach, and confirm the engagement methods and communication

channels that older people in a particular community access. These groups may

also to promote your engagement events and process through their networks.



Timing and location of meetings

: Have you considered whether the timing and

location of meetings will encourage older people to attend? Some members of this

group have safety, security and mobility concerns that would preclude them from

attending engagement events at night, while others may still be active or working

and prefer evening or weekend meetings. Meeting locations need to be

conveniently located, well lit, with access to car parking and public transport. This

information should be made available to older people when inviting them to attend

meetings.

Venues need to provide comfortable seating and temperature, and be accessible.

They also need to cater for various abilities (e.g. the availability of hearing loops).

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 54 of 89

Also, visiting where older people live or shop, or connecting with existing events or

meetings attended by older people, could encourage participation in the

engagement process.



Choice of engagement techniques

: Have you considered whether the older

people in your community use or have access to technology? Have you

considered how mobility and accessibility could affect your choice of engagement

technique?

It may be necessary to provide a mix of online and mobile engagement methods

with more traditional print methods. It may also be necessary to consider the

mobility needs of the audience when choosing engagement techniques (e.g. a

facilitation technique that requires participants to move frequently may not be

useful in some circumstances).

This group is also interested in attending events, so provide opportunities for

individual or group discussion. Other techniques to consider are:



using local radio, local newspapers or newsletters distributed by organisations

that support older people (e.g. Seniors Peak Service and other seniors

organisations)



attending or distributing information through social clubs and seniors’ clubs



surveys



peer-led conversations or engagement events.



Communicate effectively

: Have you considered if this audience has any

particular communication needs? Generally, to communicate well with older

people, you need to:



listen well



be respectful



use plain language, large fonts and colour that is easy to read



consider whether a support person (e.g. a family member) should also be part

of the discussion



be hospitable and, where appropriate, provide refreshments



make sure that electronic equipment, such as mobile phones, radios,

televisions and ticket machines have large buttons and large lettering



make sure that automated telephone services give instructions slowly and

clearly and tell callers how to repeat the message at any time



share status updates or outcomes with older people after the event



not be patronising.

Adapted from information contained in Youth Affairs Council of South Australia, Better together: A practical guide to

effective engagement with older people.

Ibid.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 55 of 89

Young people

While local communities are the direct beneficiaries of good planning, children and young people

are the long-term beneficiaries. Given the impact that planning decisions have on the future of

children and young people, opportunities to increase their understanding of planning concepts and

to encourage their participation in engagement processes need to be maximised.

As with older people, young people can cover a range of age groups. Typically, the term ‘young

people’ refers to people between the ages of 12 and 25. However, children can get involved in

planning processes and projects, often with the help of their school. Principals of local primary

schools are often open to providing opportunities for their students to learn more about their

environment and their place in it. This is also the case with many secondary Geography teachers.

Children and young people can also get involved in planning processes through:

•

local youth organisations and networks

•

local sports and activity clubs

•

online networks (e.g. Facebook groups)

•

student groups (e.g. QUT Planning Student Association, UQ Organisation of Planning

Students).

As with all groups with particular needs, working with the networks that support them will provide

greater opportunities for including them in a community engagement process.

Engagement materials need to use plain language and engaging graphics. For children,

engagement activities need to be creative and fun. Consider opportunities for active engagement

such as story-telling, capturing stories and creating contributions using physical or digital tools.

For young people, integrate the mediums they value into the engagement process. This can

include social media, online tools and music. Incorporate opportunities for young people to use

these tools to create contributions.

Consider also whether young people can support the delivery of the engagement process. For

example, young people could facilitate focus groups, or actively promote engagement activities as

they may be more comfortable with the idea of engaging with peers than older adults.

Ensure that the venues chosen for engagement activities will not prevent young people from

attending.

Consideration should also be given to how engagement outcomes will be conveyed to those who

participated. Providing information about outcomes may encourage participation in future

engagement activities.

The following tool should be used in conjunction with tool 4.1, which provides a checklist for

engaging with specific groups. The following tool provides more specific guidance in relation to

engaging with young people, and draws from information contained in a range of resources listed

in the References section including Better together: A practical guide for effective engagement with

young people. The guide can be accessed online at www.bettertogether.sa.gov.au

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 56 of 89

Tool 4.4: Checklist for engaging with young people



Identify and work with local groups

: Have you identified and contacted

representatives of local groups that work with, or support, young people?

Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement approach, and

confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that young people

in a particular community access.

These groups may also be able help to promote your engagement events and

process through their networks.



Legislative requirements

: Have you considered if there are any legislative

requirements to address as part of your engagement process with young people?

Where engagement activities and events are designed to encourage people under

the age of 18 to participate there may be requirements that will ensure that these

environments are safe (e.g. do the people working with children have ‘Blue

Cards’?)



Timing and location of meetings

: Have you considered whether the timing and

location of meetings will encourage young people to attend? Make sure that young

people can access the venue (e.g. avoid venues that serve alcohol or have

gambling activities). Also, make sure that meetings or events are held at times

when young people can attend and when there are transport options available (e.g.

public transport, or private transport provided by parents or guardians).



Build capacity to participate

: Have you considered if young people need support

to build their capacity to participate? Helping young people to develop the skills to

participate in your engagement process could help to maximise their participation.

This could include learning about planning concepts or learning how to facilitate

conversations with their peers. Young people can also be employed to facilitate

engagement activities, and may be more approachable for young participants.



Choice of engagement techniques

: Have you considered the range of techniques

that could appeal to young people as part of an engagement process? It is

important to offer a range of informal events to encourage young people to

participate. It is also important to use a range of techniques that are accessible for

young people.

Also, be aware that young people come from a diverse range of backgrounds. This

diversity needs to be embraced using techniques that are useful to those people

from diverse backgrounds (e.g. young Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, or

young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds).

Particular engagement techniques that could appeal to young people are:



arts workshops



citizens’ juries



focus groups, forums and interviews



online engagement platforms



SMS



peer-led conversations



surveys



vox pop



games (e.g. Minecraft).

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 57 of 89



Communicate effectively

: Have you considered the particular communication

needs of young people? Generally, to communicate well with young people, you

need to:



have a clear and genuine purpose that is meaningful to young people and

captures their interest



provide interesting and clear background information and presentations



create informal events that are also social, fun, and have frequent breaks



avoid jargon and acronyms and explain technical terms



build an understanding of their language or slang, but do not presume to use it

as these words can quickly become dated.



Provide feedback

: Have you considered how you will demonstrate to young

people that their contribution has been useful? While feedback mechanisms are

important in all engagement processes, they are particularly important for young

people that may be participating for the first time. Being able to demonstrate to

young people how their contribution influenced the outcome may help to encourage

them to become or remain engaged in future planning processes.

People with disability

When engaging with people with disability, it is crucial to ensure that facilities are accessible,

comfortable and enhance their ability to listen and concentrate. Engagement materials need to be

well-designed and accessible. Improving accessibility can include using plain language, Auslan or

translation interpreting services, hearing loops, captions in digital video, translated materials, and

graphics that explain complex concepts simply.

Providing opportunities for people with disability to attend smaller meetings rather than large

community gatherings can increase their participation. It is also important to engage with the

networks that support people with disability to both capture their input to the process and to access

their networks to promote engagement events and distribute information.

The following tool should be used in conjunction with tool 4.1 (an overall checklist for engaging with

specific groups). Tool 4.5 provides more specific guidance in relation to engaging with people with

disability, and draws from information contained in a range of resources listed in the References

section.

Tool 4.5: Checklist for engaging with people with disability



Identify and work with local groups

: Have you identified and contacted

representatives of local groups that work with, or support, people with disability?

Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement approach, and

confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that people with

disability, their families and carers, access.

These groups may also be able help to promote your engagement process and

events through their networks.



Timing and location of meetings

: Have you considered whether the timing and

location of meetings will encourage people with disability to attend? People with

disability sometimes need extra time to get ready in the mornings, so consider

starting your meetings after 9.30 am and finishing by 4.00 pm. Make sure your

morning and afternoon tea breaks are long enough so that people with disability

have time to go to the toilet and eat. Let people know where the accessible toilet is

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 58 of 89

located and always check it is working before your event.

Venue choice is important when making events and meetings accessible to people

with disability. Consider issues such as mobility (e.g. wheelchair access), hearing

impairment (e.g. the need for an Auslan interpreter or hearing loop), and vision

impairment.



Communicate effectively

: Have you considered the particular communication

needs of people with disability attending your meeting? Always make sure the

information is clear and concise, and in an easy-English format so that everyone

can understand. You may need to provide presentations and other information in

alternative formats, such as rtf or pdf for people with visual impairment, or you may

need to provide an Auslan interpreter for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

You may need to provide support workers, or encourage support workers to attend

events, to help translate information and support any dialogue. It is also important

to allow enough time for people with communication and cognitive difficulties to

contribute.

Be particularly mindful of using respectful language at all times. Be careful not to

make assumptions about people’s abilities or skills – when in doubt, ask the person

if they need support.



Choice of engagement techniques

: Have you considered the range of techniques

that could be necessary to engage with people with disability? Small or individual

meetings are preferred to large meetings, so that people can contribute.



Catering

: Have you thought about the food and drinks that you provide at your

meeting? You might need to offer to help some people with disability to get their tea

or coffee and provide some drinking straws and taller glasses for water. When you

are working out food for your catering, try to provide smaller items, like slices or fruit

that can be easily picked up and eaten.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Collectively, Queenslanders speak more than 220 languages, hold more than 100 religious beliefs

and come from more than 220 countries and territories. People from culturally and linguistically

diverse backgrounds make substantial contributions to Queensland, and have important

contributions to make in conversations about land use and local government planning matters.

New arrivals to Queensland bring with them a range of skills, experience and perspectives that

enrich our society and have helped make Queensland the diverse and strong state we know today.

Some people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience barriers when

engaging with government. It is important to remain cognisant of the needs of the groups you

intend to engage with.

Culturally diverse community groups and individuals may have varying levels of experience

engaging with government. Building trust with communities and people from culturally and

linguistically diverse backgrounds is essential for supporting positive engagement. Community

groups value honesty and respect; therefore, demonstrating respect is one of the most important

elements in planning your engagement.

There are community organisations that have established relationships with multicultural

community groups and are continuously involved with them in your local government area. These

organisations may provide social, cultural and political context in relation to the community group

that you are seeking to engage. They may also help promote events through their networks and

identify stakeholders, multicultural media networks, and community leaders who can support you in

engaging with the community. The Queensland Multicultural Resource Directory may assist.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 59 of 89

Effective and strategic communication is particularly important for people from cultural and

linguistically diverse backgrounds, as the way information is presented, received and understood

may vary across community groups. Depending on your community and project, the use of

multilingual resources and interpreters may be required for people who have difficulty

communicating in English. Arranging translation of materials and interpreters can take time, so it is

important to ensure that you plan your communication strategies early.

When engaging with community groups, you should consider cultural protocols and practices,

where relevant, including in relation to venues, dates and catering – for example, avoid venues that

could exclude certain communities (such as licensed venues), avoid dates that may fall during

festivals and religious holidays, and consider relevant catering requirements such as Halal,

Kosher, and during Ramadan.

The following tool should be used in conjunction with tool 4.1 (which provides an overall checklist

for engaging with diverse groups). The following tool provides more specific guidance in relation to

engaging with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Tool 4.6: Checklist for engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse groups



Identify and work with local groups

: Have you identified and contacted

community organisations and representatives that work with, or support, people

from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds? Engaging with multicultural

organisations and community leaders will allow you to seek advice and identify

which approach is most appropriate when planning your engagement and

communication strategies.



Timing and location of meetings

: Have you considered whether the timing and

location of meetings will encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse

backgrounds to attend? Make sure that you have chosen venues that will not

exclude particular communities (e.g. licensed premises). And have not timed

events to coincide with festivals, holy days, or prayer times.



Communicate effectively

: Have you considered the communication needs of

people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds? You need to:



use appropriate distribution channels (e.g. multicultural media)



use multilingual resources and interpreters where required



consider whether people would be more comfortable speaking with someone of

a particular gender or from a particular cultural group



consider literacy levels



provide culturally appropriate refreshments



consider cultural patterns of communication (e.g. the order in which people

speak at meetings)



avoid jargon and acronyms, and explain technical terms



consider whether there are trust issues in particular communities that could

cause some information to be deemed too sensitive to share.



Timing

: Have you provided enough time in your program for written materials to

be translated, and for this translation to be verified by a third party? Translating

materials is only part of the task. You also need to make sure that the translation is

accurate and culturally appropriate. Have you allowed enough time at meetings for

interpreters to ensure all participants understand key messages and can express

their views?

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 60 of 89

Disadvantaged and homeless people

For a range of reasons, there could be individuals or families within your community that are

financially vulnerable, homeless or disadvantaged for other reasons. These people have a range of

experiences, opinions and observations that can add considerable value to engagement processes

in relation to planning (e.g. these people could provide insights about living in communities that are

not adequately connected to public transport or where local employment is not available).

Work with organisations and groups that support the financially vulnerable and homeless people to

distribute information and encourage participation in engagement processes. These organisations

and groups will identify opportunities to take an engagement process to these individuals (e.g.

visiting community facilities or service centres).

Engagement materials will need to use plain language and clear graphics.

The following tool should be used in conjunction with tool 4.1 (which provides an overall checklist

for engaging with specific groups). It provides more specific guidance in relation to engaging with

disadvantaged or homeless people.

Tool 4.7: Checklist for engaging with disadvantaged and homeless people



Identify and work with local groups

: Have you identified and contacted

representatives of local groups that work with, or support, disadvantaged and

homeless people? Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement

approach, and confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that

disadvantaged and homeless people in your community access.

These groups may also be able help to promote your engagement events and

processes through their networks. They will also have access to facilities, meetings

and events that will allow you to take your engagement process to disadvantaged

and homeless people.



Communicate effectively

: Have you considered the communication needs of

disadvantaged and homeless people? Generally, to communicate well with

disadvantaged and homeless people you need to:



be aware of literacy and numeracy levels and provide both written and oral

information, as well as written and oral ways to participate



provide ways for disadvantaged and homeless people to participate for free

(e.g. Freecall telephone hotline, free internet access to access online materials

or engagement techniques, or free transport to events)



provide opportunities to meet during a meal time, and provide a light meal or

refreshments



avoid jargon and unfamiliar acronyms and explain technical terms



consider whether there are trust issues for some individuals



be careful not to use language that stigmatises or alienates individuals.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 61 of 89

Part 5: Content development

Content preparation

Great content that hooks your stakeholders and interests them enough to find out more can make

or break your engagement process. Just printing a 200-page draft plan or document and leaving it

in the local council or library office is no longer effective. People are too busy and have an

expectation that the information comes to them directly.

Accessible and understandable content, delivered in a range of easy-to-digest multimedia and

multi-device forms, is what is required.

Tool 5.1: Ten tips for creating suitable content for engagement

When preparing engagement content, keep your audience (particularly any specific groups that

you are reaching out to) and your engagement tool in mind. All content should be succinct,

authentic, and tell a story. Every word counts – too many words, difficult language, acronyms

and jargon, and you will lose your audience. Printed documents of all types, websites, and

social media all require a different approach to leverage the engagement benefits they provide

and to appeal to the audience they attract. For example, printed or downloadable reports and

fact sheets can tell a more comprehensive story, websites provide information in smaller

‘digestible’ pieces, and social media needs to convey information in short sentences. Where

possible, using a test audience to make sure that your messages are being understood can be

extremely powerful.

Structure your documents so that information is provided in easily readable sections. Where

information needs to be accessed via the internet, it is important that it is provided in ‘pieces’

that can be easily downloaded or printed.

Many planning projects involve large documents. If you are engaging with the community on

these documents, it is helpful to include both a short and long summary. Your community will

be able to access the information they need without having to dig too deep into the detail.

However, it is important to have the detailed information available for those community

members who are interested and motivated to access it.

Make sure your documents are readable across different digital platforms including desktop,

laptop, tablet or mobile screens.

Preparing responses to frequently asked questions or FAQs can be extremely helpful for

community members. FAQs can be made available on a website or in hardcopy. Well-

considered and simple responses to community questions about the engagement process,

statutory obligations or the planning project can free-up resources for conversations with

community members about more complex planning matters.

Videos are an effective medium for communicating complex ideas. They can be used to explain

the rationale of a proposed plan, to call participants to action, to bring up specific ‘hot’ issues,

or give the community a voice via vox pop interviews.

Creating slideshows can help to break information into bite-sized pieces. A useful way to

approach creating a slideshow is to take the key messages from your summary documents and

put one message on each slide with supporting images.

Thinking strategically about planning can be difficult for people. It can help to use image

galleries to stimulate people’s imagination and thinking. The image galleries can contain

relevant pictures, images and infographics. This approach can help when people need to think

about a local area’s present, past or future potential. It can also help when people need to

consider potentially contentious matters such as proposed changes to density in certain areas.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 62 of 89

To help people think about planning challenges and issues, make any discussion topics as

specific, yet as simple, as possible. Most people respond better to specific questions than to

broad, strategic questions.

10)

Embed new rich media content, such as videos, photos, infographics and maps in engagement

forums that are designed to encourage discussion with the community. Make this information

available and accessible.

Adapted from Bang the Table

Content should engage stakeholders by making the topic of consultation relevant to their lives. Key

questions to help guide the development of engagement materials are outlined in tool 5.2. These

questions address the basic who, what, why, when, where, and how of your project.

Tool 5.2: Checklist to guide development of engagement material



Have you considered who the planning project is affecting?

If you have not already

done this, there are tools in part 2 that can help (e.g. tools 2.2A, 2.2B, 2.4 and 2.6). These

will define who should participate in your engagement process and who your audience is.

These will also help you identify if your audience has any specific communication or

language needs.



Do you have a clear understanding of what the planning project is, what the issues

and effects could be, and what is being decided?

This will help you to gather the

information that you need to clearly communicate what the project is, what is being

considered, and what the potential impacts are. A clear understanding of the potential issues

and impacts will help to determine the background information that you need in order to help

the community understand the planning concepts being considered. Explore simple visuals

that can help to communicate these planning concepts.

It is also important to have a clear understanding of what is negotiable and what is not

negotiable in relation to the project. This will help ensure that the parameters of the project

are always clearly communicated and community expectations are not raised.

It is important to explain how the community can influence a decision, i.e. explain how their

feedback will be used and how it will contribute to the decision-making process.



Do you have a clear understanding about why this planning project is being

conducted?

It will be important for engagement material to be clear about the drivers for a

project.



Do you have a clear understanding of what you are asking the community to do?

you want them to read or watch something? Do you want them to provide you with ideas or

feedback, tell you their story, or register for your newsletter? Do you need them to come to

your forum? Make the call to action clear.



Have you communicated where information will be available, and when it will be

available?

If you are calling the community to action, have you made it clear when they

must act, and where they must go to take action?



Have you clearly communicated how the community can get involved in the project,

and why they should get involved?



Have you clearly explained what people need to do to make a ‘properly made’

submission?



Have you made your messages as uncomplicated as possible?

Is your content in plain

language? Have you removed the planning jargon and acronyms? Have you used graphics,

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 63 of 89

infographics, maps and images to help explain difficult concepts?



Have you used a test audience to confirm that you have clearly explained what you

needed to explain?



Have you made your materials attractive?

This will encourage people to collect and read

printed materials, or click-on digital materials. To help with this task it can be useful to work

with a graphic designer. It is important that engagement materials clearly define the

objectives of the engagement process, and articulate exactly how the community’s input will

be incorporated into the decision-making process.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 64 of 89

Part 6: Implementing your community

engagement strategy

Once your engagement strategy has been approved, you are ready to implement it. This is usually

the most time-consuming part of the process.

It is important to remember that it is rare to implement a strategy completely unchanged and it

needs to remain fluid. As you start implementing your action plan, be prepared for it to change.

Extra elements that you had not previously considered may need to be added, or certain activities

may need to be amended or removed altogether.

These changes will be guided by feedback from your stakeholders and the level of success you

achieve within the community. If they are not receptive, you may need to look at other ways of

reaching them.

6.1 Data collection and analysis

Tracking and reporting on the progress of the engagement project will be necessary, so ensuring

you have a system to collate and ultimately help you analyse input received upon conclusion of the

engagement period will be critical. This will also help to manage follow-up community engagement

activities for the project team (e.g. following up requests for further information or requests for

meetings).

Themes and topics that are usually required for engagement reporting include:

•

how many stakeholders and community members participated, including a breakdown of

stakeholder groups, and demographic and geographic groups

•

key issues and topics raised

•

the differences in views and ideas between stakeholder groups and communities.

It is generally expected that an analysis of the community engagement data is included as an

appendix in the final engagement report. This report should be made available to the public at the

conclusion of the engagement process.

The complexity and scale of your engagement project, as well as budget for engagement delivery,

will most likely determine how you collect and analyse your data. There are two main methods of

undertaking this:

Maintaining a register of community and stakeholder details and interactions. This can be done

in a spreadsheet such as Microsoft

Excel. While this is a low-cost method, offering basic data

analysis for reporting purposes, it can be time consuming.

Maintaining a web-based stakeholder management system or an online engagement platform.

These tools will help to track and manage community and stakeholder relationships and

interactions. These options come at a greater cost but allow for sophisticated data analysis that

can be undertaken simply and quickly.

Tool 6.1

provides a checklist that will help you determine if a Microsoft

Excel spreadsheet, or

similar, will suffice for your engagement process, or if you will need to invest in the use of a more

customised community and stakeholder management tool.

Adapted from flowchart developed by Darzin Software.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 65 of 89

Tool 6.1: Checklist for determining data analysis requirements

To determine if a standard spreadsheet is suitable for your data analysis needs, consider:



Is your consultation short term or a one-off process?



Do you only need to have one person at a time accessing the database?



Will you only have a small number of community members, and therefore a small amount of

data to enter into the spreadsheet? It can be time consuming to enter large amounts of data

into a spreadsheet, and sometimes inefficient to search and track trends.



Do you not need to track people and their multiple interactions with the project team during

the engagement process?



Do you only need to analyse feedback quantitatively?



Do you have access to someone with advanced spreadsheet skills?

To determine if a basic or advanced stakeholder relationship management software package is

suitable for your data analysis needs, consider the following questions:



Is your consultation short term or a one-off process, with multiple engagement channels and

a requirement for transparency in reporting?



Is your consultation short term or a one-off process, with one engagement channel (e.g.

online or submissions) and a requirement for qualitative analysis and advanced reporting?



Do you need to have multiple people accessing the database at the same time?



Do you need to track people and interactions and analyse feedback?



Do you need to integrate with other systems and data from other channels?



Do you need to conduct qualitative analysis of a large amount of data?



Do you need to provide advanced reporting, such as attaching quotes in submissions to

issues reporting, reporting issues against geographic location, or quickly tracking emerging

issues?



Do you need to manage tasks and follow-up activities from your database?



Do you need to manage the distribution of emails or letters from your database?

There is a range of basic or advanced software packages available for purchase, such as

Consultation Manager, Darzin, Voxcito, Borealis and Staketracker. Software packages are

constantly being developed. Before making an investment, be clear about your requirements

and make sure the software package you select can meet these requirements. Consider:



Do you need to mainly track who stakeholders are over time and multiple projects, so that

you can build and maintain a long-term relationship with them?



Are numbers the most important measure, and can your online engagement platform provide

that data?



Do you need to conduct quantitative or qualitative data analysis, or both?



Do you need to use the database to assign follow-up tasks to colleagues?



Do you need to use the database to contact stakeholders and community members? Are

there additional costs involved to do this?



Do you need multiple staff accessing the database at the same time?



What is your budget?



Do you need to categorise issues raised, and report on these issues and trends?



Do you need to be able to analyse issues raised geographically?

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 66 of 89

Tool 6.2: Example Excel community engagement database

Before developing an Excel database to register participants in your community engagement

process, and capture their comments and concerns, make sure that you have fully understood the

data that you need to capture. It is difficult to retro-fit information into an Excel spreadsheet once

you have started to populate it.

Data you may need to capture include:

•

date of contact (i.e. when the interaction took place)

•

how contact was made (i.e. be able to select one of the engagement tools you have chosen for

your process from a drop-down menu that lists each tool, e.g. email, phone or display)

•

who initiated the contact (i.e. the community member or the project team)

•

which project team member participated in the contact

•

whether the stakeholder is a community member or represents a community group

•

contact details

•

a summary of the interaction, feedback or submission

•

a summary of the issues raised, so that they can be quantified over time (e.g. a drop-down

menu can be useful here to list the identified issues, such as environment, amenity or density)

•

any actions that the project team needs to take as a follow-up to the interaction

•

a summary page or tab can be set up to produce a report from.

A screen shot showing an example Excel community database is provided below.

Date

Interaction

Type

Your Project

Officer

Name of community

member

Their organisation

or group

Contact Details Summary of contact Issue raised Follow-up action Complete

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 67 of 89

Part 7: Feedback and reporting

In making a decision about a specific project or issue, it is essential to explain the process that was

followed to come to that decision as well as to answer why and how it was decided. Stakeholders

may not always agree with the outcome or decision made, but if the process by which the decision

was made is understood, then the likelihood of it being accepted can be greater.

It is essential to provide feedback to participants of an engagement process. Participants have

given you their time and knowledge and it is imperative to recognise this by keeping them updated

about the process outcomes. It is particularly important to provide feedback on engagement

processes where there is a significant difference of opinion between community members.

Information to provide back to stakeholders and community members includes:

•

how participant input has been used to inform the decision-making process

•

the next steps of the project

•

details about future opportunities for input.

Never underestimate the power of a ‘thank you’ as it is always important to follow-up after

engaging with stakeholders.

The MGR includes the requirement to prepare a consultation report. Again, while it is mandatory

for local government to do a consultation report under the MGR, the use of any tools in this toolkit

is entirely up to each local government’s discretion. This section and the tool within it may provide

useful information and guidance in preparing a consultation report.

Bang the Table: http://www.bangthetable.com/the-power-of-thank-you/

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 68 of 89

Tool 7.1: Checklist for following up after engagement and preparing a report



Have you considered how you will follow-up with your community after the

engagement process is complete?

This could include a letter, email or postcard to all participants to communicate the outcomes

of the project, which could include a link to the community engagement report. Following up

with your community demonstrates your respect for participants and transparency as an

organisation. It also helps to lay a foundation for an ongoing conversation with community

members about planning issues and concepts.



Have you considered how you will document the engagement process in the report?

is important to provide the planning team working on the project with a comprehensive report

that could outline:



the objectives of the engagement process



the identified stakeholders, stakeholder groups and community members that were

contacted in relation to the project



the phases of the project and the engagement activities delivered



analysis of the data collected during the engagement and how it has informed the

decision-making process.



Have you considered how you will provide the engagement report to the community?

Will it be a summary document or a detailed report?

Once the engagement report has been considered by your decision-makers, you can start to

prepare for the release of the report to the community. It is helpful to document how the

community’s input has influenced the decision, where suggestions have been adopted, and

which suggestions were not adopted and why.



Have you considered how you will make the information in a community engagement

report accessible to the community?

It is useful to prepare your reports in various formats

(Word, PDF, HTML) to ensure that they are as accessible to the widest possible range of

community members. Make sure that documents hosted on a website can be easily

downloaded. Preparation of a summary document can help, particularly if this document

uses a range of graphics, infographics, charts, and images to help provide context.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 69 of 89

Part 8: Evaluation

To close the community engagement process, and to make sure that any learnings are captured, it

is important to evaluate your process and the results that were achieved. Evaluation can be

quantitative (e.g. the number of people involved in the process) or qualitative (e.g. feedback from

community members about whether they felt they had been listened to). It can also be:

•

summative, i.e. exploring whether the process was successful and met its objectives

•

formative, i.e. exploring what you can do better and how to overcome challenges

•

research-based, i.e. capturing learnings so that your community engagement practice improves

over time.

The benefits of evaluation include:

•

demonstrating value of engagement to internal and external stakeholders

•

knowing what works, what does not work and why

•

ensuring that successes are built upon, and mistakes are not repeated

•

being able to adapt an ongoing engagement process to increase its effectiveness

•

capturing learnings to help plan future engagement processes.

•

A robust evaluation process will also include input from stakeholders, community members and

participants in the engagement process.

The following tool will help you to evaluate your community engagement process.

Tool 8.1: Checklist to guide evaluation of a community engagement process

Exploring whether the process was successful and met its objectives:



Have you considered how your process addressed the core community engagement

guiding principles?

Questions to explore here could include:



How did your engagement process ensure that the planning project focused on the

best interests of the community?

Have you explained what is meant by ‘best interests

of the community’? What engagement tools did you use to make sure that the broader

community had a voice in your process? Were these tools successful? What quantitative

data (i.e. number of participants) or qualitative data (i.e. feedback from participants that

indicates that the process was valuable to them) do you have to support your

assessment?



How did you make sure that the engagement process was open, honest and

meaningful?

How did you

make

sure that the community had access to the information

that they needed to help them participate in a conversation about the planning process?

How did you make sure that the community were provided with genuine opportunities to

participate? What quantitative or qualitative data do you have to support your

assessment?



How did you reach out to, and encourage, all sectors of the community to become

engaged?

Did you have diverse

voices

and perspectives involved in your process?

What quantitative or qualitative data do you have to support your assessment?

Department of Communities 2004, Engaging Queenslanders: Evaluating community engagement.

Department of Transport and Main Roads 2010, Community engagement: Resource guide.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 70 of 89



Was your engagement process appropriate for the community and the

circumstances of the project?

Did you strike a balance between the community’s

desire to be involved and the opportunities to be involved? What quantitative or

qualitative data do you have to support your assessment?



Did you make sure that the community understood what a ‘properly made’

submission was and how they could make one?

Did your engagement process

include tools that enabled community members to express their ideas and influence the

planning process, regardless of whether these ideas were expressed as part of a

‘properly made’ submission? What quantitative or qualitative data do you have to support

your assessment?



Did you make sure that the community was informed early in the process?

Did you

make sure that there were opportunities for the community to participate throughout the

planning process? Did the community feel some ownership of the planning outcomes?

What quantitative or qualitative data do you have to support your assessment?



Did you design your engagement process so that community members and

stakeholders could easily contribute?

Was information easy for people to understand?

Did you use plain language? Did you limit the use of planning jargon and clarify key

issues? What quantitative or qualitative data do you have to support your assessment?



Was your engagement process flexible?

Did you adapt your approach based on

participant feedback or anecdotal evidence about what was working and what was not?



Was the decision-making process transparent?

Were the community and participants

provided with reasons for the decision? Were the community and participants informed

about how their contributions shaped the planning outcomes? Did you explain clearly

what trade-offs were made and why?



Did you deliver your engagement process for the allocated budget?



Have you considered how your process addressed the IAP2 Quality Assurance

Standard?



Have you explored what you can do better and how to overcome challenges?



Have you documented the internal and external barriers and challenges that

emerged as you delivered the engagement process?

Have you explored how you

overcame these barriers and challenges? A lessons-learnt de-brief meeting is a useful

way to explore the barriers and challenges to your engagement process. It is important

that all members of the project team have an opportunity to attend this meeting so that

they can explore the engagement process constructively.



Have you captured and shared these learnings so that they can be applied to your

next community engagement process?

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 71 of 89

Part 9: Success stories

In this part, we provide real-life examples of what is happening across Queensland. These case

studies outline some projects and initiatives that demonstrate successful community engagement.

To provide us with more examples for inclusion here, please use tool 9.1 as a guide.

Tool 9.1: Case study template

Council name and contact:

(for permission to print/include in the toolkit)

Project name:

Describe what made the project successful.

Why was the project important to your community?

Why was it important to engage your community in this project?

Describe how you engaged the community.

What tools and approaches did you apply to seek contributions from the community?

Describe the results.

How did your community influence project outcomes?

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

Case study 9.1: New

planning scheme

Council name

: Logan City Council

Describe what made the project

successful

Why was the project important to your

community?

A new, all-encompassing planning scheme

was a must for Logan City after the

expansion of local government area

boundaries in 2008.

The existing Logan City local government

area was merged with parts of the former

Gold Coast City and Beaudesert Shire areas.

Planning requirements that applied to one

area of the newly expanded City of Logan

did not necessarily apply in others, creating

confusion for locals, frustration for

developers and an ever-increasing

assessment workload for the council.

Why was it important for the community to be engaged on this project?

The draft planning scheme had established a framework to support the rapid growth and

development of the City of Logan by identifying opportunities for 70,000 new dwellings and 50,000

new jobs. Logan City Council wanted the community and stakeholders to not only understand and

accept this new scheme, but to own it as the blueprint for the city’s future direction.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 72 of 89

Describe how you engaged the community

What tools and approaches did you apply to seek contributions from the community?

We developed the following tools for the participation process based on outcomes from previous

projects, research into how the Logan public liked to be presented with new information, and a dual

approach that targeted people based on their interests and field.

•

Reference group workshops

– these involved representatives of key segments of the

community to enable themes and features to be explored in detail, investigations to be

undertaken between meetings, and meaningful responses provided. Representatives included

developers, agricultural producers, community service providers, environmental advocacy

groups and residents.

•

Pop-up kiosks, meet-a-planner sessions, and planner desks

– these facilitated detailed,

face-to-face discussion of specific aspects of the scheme at convenient local locations.

•

Fact sheets, web content, Facebook posts and highly innovative interactive website

mapping

– these ensured all Logan residents had access to user-friendly, easily digestible

information that would support meaningful stakeholder contributions from a foundation of

knowledge, rather than assumption or guesswork.

Describe the results

How did your community influence project outcomes?

Significant amendments were made to:

•

vegetation management offset requirements

•

‘impact assessable’ status of freehold multi-unit subdivision developments

•

gross floor area in the context of level of assessment for retail and commercial uses in retail

centres

•

prohibitions on high-impact industry development.

Moreover, as a result of community feedback through the planning scheme engagement, an entire

new project was initiated to review the council's ecological significance map.

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

The chief challenge stemmed from the fact that planning schemes are technical, complex, and

rarely encountered day to day. For this reason:

•

We allowed

twice the statutory timeframe

for engagement to provide the greatest possible

opportunity for people to learn about the scheme.

•

We provided

assistance to our reference groups in preparing their submissions

– putting

their concerns into the terms most likely to influence the scheme.

•

We created an

interactive online mapping tool

that enabled a variety of ways to interrogate

the scheme.

Planning can be emotive – changing permissible lot sizes, population density, future planning of

infrastructure all affect people's amenity and potentially the value of their properties. For specific

matters, we used the following approaches to ensure maximum attention and engagement:

•

engaged on local area plans

ahead of time, to tackle these

separately from the bulk of

engagement of the scheme

. This was also not without its challenges, in one case resulting in

a complete re-initiation of the planning process for that suburb, allowing more time and different

engagement methodologies to enable residents to understand the objectives of the plan and

influence outcomes.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 73 of 89

•

We also

engaged on the flood mapping

ahead of time for the same reason, ensuring

maximum attention to the flood issue at that time so that the issue did not become a distraction

from the planning scheme when we engaged on it later.

The extensive engagement process resulted in a high degree of public participation, as evidenced

by:

•

15 meetings held with 5 reference groups

•

693 written submissions received

•

2600+ people attending face-to-face events across the city

•

74,911 people viewing our Facebook posts

•

26,065 visits to our website

•

472 people viewing our YouTube video

•

550 enquiries made via email, phone and front-counter interactions

•

12,658 visits to the interactive mapping tool.

Case study 9.2: CityShape 2026

Council name

: Brisbane City Council

Describe what made the project successful

Why was the project important to your community?

The Brisbane City Council developed Brisbane CityShape 2006 (CityShape) between 2005 and

2006 as a blueprint to manage Brisbane’s growth for the next 20 years.

Why was it important to engage your community in this project?

In developing CityShape, it was important to gain broad community consensus on the distribution

of the citywide dwelling targets that had been established by the 2005 South East Queensland

Regional Plan. That plan forecasted the need for 145,000 additional dwellings in Brisbane by 2026

to support a predicted population increase of 200,000. Engaging the community meant that

residents could help council decide how and where this growth should be accommodated. More

than 60,000 people contributed ideas and comments. This extensive program of community

engagement resulted in the establishment of a preferred CityShape – a multi-centred city with

elements of a corridor city – and the development of a new 20-year vision for the city. This updated

the original Living in Brisbane 2010 (a vision for the city’s future prepared in 2001) and fed into the

development of a new strategic framework.

Describe how you engaged the community

What tools and approaches did you apply to seek contributions from the community?

The community had the opportunity to participate in an extensive program of activities, which

provided a clear understanding of the issues associated with planning for a growing city. These

activities were accessible to all sectors of the community. A clear line of sight was provided

between the initial workshops, Your Home and Neighbourhood Fairs, CityShape Conference,

neighbourhood workshops and the resultant Brisbane CityShape 2026 and new city vision that

were developed. The engagement provided a high level of transparency, with the opportunity for

the community to vote on their preferred CityShape. The proportion of votes for each of the four

options was announced, and the selected CityShape was a combination of the two most popular

‘shapes’.

An explicit strategy throughout the process was to broaden the mechanisms through which

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 74 of 89

feedback was captured by providing innovative and accessible ways for Brisbane residents to

express their views.

Approximately 40,000 residents attended a Neighbourhood Planning workshop or focus group,

completed a survey, or visited one of the five Your Home Neighbourhood Fairs. The fairs provided

information and provoked discussion on the many issues facing the city and ideas as to how these

issues could be addressed. We also sought advice from those directly involved in the planning

processes – town planners, community and environmental groups, developers and architects.

Almost 10,000 people visited the fairs and voted for one of four different shapes (‘CityShapes’) that

Brisbane could take in the future. Attendees were invited to nominate to become a CityShape

Ambassador and be a representative at the CityShape Conference and detailed local

Neighbourhood Workshops.

The two-day CityShape Conference, held in August 2005, involved national and international

speakers and facilitators. Delegates included 250 residents. On the first day of the conference

delegates were invited to participate in a series of interactive workshops and present their ideas

and opinions in small working groups. The focus of the second day was on identifying, debating

and creating a consensus around common principles that would shape Brisbane’s future. It sought

to capture the diversity of opinion among delegates.

Throughout the conference, delegates were invited to provide comment on whiteboards and

butcher’s paper, pegboards and group ‘totems’ (a series of 2-metre-high columns) where

delegates’ images and personal messages could be posted.

The recommendations of the conference were tested and refined through technical studies and

used to select a preferred CityShape for Brisbane. The draft CityShape 2026 report was released

for discussion purposes in February 2006 and then presented to the wider community for comment

through 26 Neighbourhood Workshops from March to May 2006, before being finalised in mid-

2006.

Describe the results

How did your community influence project outcomes?

Valuable public feedback from the CityShape engagement program included suggestions for

planning the layout of Brisbane, accommodating future growth, building sustainable developments,

improving transport, encouraging employment, keeping green spaces and protecting Brisbane’s

identity. CityShape led to the development of a new strategic framework for the city in the council’s

City Plan. Community values established through the engagement process fed into the

development of a new vision for the city and provided a community mandate for neighbourhood

planning initiatives. This significant engagement process established a platform for planning for the

next ten to twenty years and council could leverage off this process for future planning

engagement, both at the strategic and citywide level as well as through the neighbourhood

planning program.

The Neighbourhood Planning CityShape Conference, which formed a key element of the

CityShape engagement, was highly commended in the 2006 Robust Public Participation Process

category of the International Association for Public Participation’s Best of Practice – Community

Engagement in Australasia 2005–2009 awards.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 75 of 89

The draft CityShape 2006 report that was developed from the CityShape engagement formed the

basis of the strategic framework for Brisbane and the new 20-year vision for the city, which in turn

were used to inform neighbourhood planning initiatives, with significant benefits for the community.

Most residents wanted new homes and new developments to be built around Brisbane’s major

shopping centres or along major growth corridors. They were looking for jobs to be located closer

to where they lived, together with better local services and facilities. CityShape 2026 helps council

deliver on these outcomes.

The Draft Brisbane CityShape 2026 proposes that, instead of pushing residents out of Brisbane

and increasing the urban sprawl across the region, more people should move into existing areas

with supporting services and facilities. It allows for building more units, townhouses, apartments

and duplexes in selected areas. Keeping a good supply and variety of homes on the market and

ensuring a range of styles, sizes and prices can help keep Brisbane affordable.

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

One of the key challenges was how to engage as many people as possible, with representation

from all sectors of the community, and to ensure the community was sufficiently informed to enable

them to meaningfully engage in the debate about urban growth. This called for an extensive

program of events that would appeal to both the layperson and the professional, young and old. A

series of events was developed to take people on a ‘learning journey’ toward an understanding of

the key issues so that they could make an informed choice when voting for their desired

CityShape. The neighbourhood fairs were extensively advertised. Local celebrities, such as bands,

singers and sports people, were engaged to attract people to the event.

Further information:

•

https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/planning-building/planning-guidelines-

tools/neighbourhood-planning/neighbourhood-planning-urban-renewal-process/original-

cityshape-2026

Case study 9.3: Ideas Fiesta

Council name

: Brisbane City Council

Describe what made the project successful

Why was the project important to your community?

The goal of the project was to gather ideas for the improvement of the city centre. In April 2013, the

Brisbane City Council hosted the City Centre Master Plan (CCMP) Ideas Fiesta to encourage the

Brisbane community and the property industry to explore ideas for the future of the city centre.

Why was it important to engage your community in this project?

The Ideas Fiesta provided a platform for the exchange of ideas in a collaborative, fun and open

way, contributing to the development of a range of projects and initiatives. It aimed to provoke

discussion and excitement about the city’s future and to invite the community to participate in

shaping their city centre. Residents, visitors and businesses were invited to get involved, be

inspired, have fun and share their ideas for imagining the future of the city centre.

Ideas raised and feedback received throughout the fiesta guided council in developing the draft

CCMP to guide future development and investment in the city centre over the next 20 years. The

final version of the plan delivered a coordinated strategy supported by several implementation

projects for the future of Brisbane’s city centre.

In November 2013, the Ideas Fiesta won an award for Promotion of Planning Excellence as well as

a commendation for Public Engagement and Community Planning in the Planning Institute of

Australia (Queensland Chapter).

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 76 of 89

Describe how you engaged your community

What tools and approaches did you apply to seek contributions from the community?

We held a three-week program of events across the city centre, supported by social media. More

than 16,400 people attended 27 fiesta events, 1200 students participated and more than 1.2 million

social media views were generated.

The fiesta featured 10 industry forums and 17 community events and showcased 17 transformative

ideas from well-known Brisbane architects and designers, providing a range of interesting and

engaging ways the community could be involved in shaping the city centre. The ideas and

feedback received during the fiesta directly influenced the directions of the CCMP and helped

council identify priorities for future delivery.

We harnessed the passion and talent of Brisbane’s design, development, business, education and

creative communities to offer a diverse range of events and experiences during the fiesta including

workshops, forums, community events and the showcasing of transformative ideas.

We partnered with the design and development industry to present 10 workshops and forums.

Some workshops explored ideas for the city centre generally, while others focused on particular

areas or aspects of the city centre. The 17 community events included street picnics, laneway and

park events, guided walks, films and exhibitions, providing the opportunity for the community to

share their ideas while actively engaging with, and shaping, the city.

We used online channels to promote the events and capture ideas, resulting in a total of over 1.2

million social media views. The Ideas Fiesta Wrap-up Report provides a detailed summary of the

outcomes of the fiesta.

Describe the results

How did community input influence project outcomes?

The council received thousands of ideas for the city centre. These ideas influenced the direction of

the draft CCMP, which was published for a final round of community consultation between 17

September and 25 October 2013, before being finalised in 2014.

The CCMP fed into the development of the City Centre Neighbourhood Plan, which translated

some the strategies in the Master Plan into more specific rules for development, in accordance

with the Sustainable Planning Act 2009.

Many of our current inner-city projects can be linked back to the ideas generated at the fiesta, such

as the City of Lights Strategy, the River’s Edge Strategy, Buildings that Breathe, the Vibrant

Laneways program and the Albert Street Temporary Event space.

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

The array of events at the Ideas Fiesta presented some logistical problems – for example, the

closing of Albert Street to traffic to allow for a street party/picnic. We partnered with external

agencies to manage some of these events.

The fiesta encouraged creative thinking, which resulted in many innovative and imaginative ideas

that may not be achievable for logistical or other reasons. There needed to be clear messaging

that whilst the council was encouraging these ‘out of the box’ ideas, they had not received council

endorsement. The use of objective messaging assisted in managing unrealistic expectations.

Further information:

• https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/planning-building/planning-guidelines-tools/city-centre-

master-plan/city-centre-master-plan-ideas-fiesta

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 77 of 89

Case study 9.4 Wet Tropics Plan for People and Country

Organisation name:

Terrain Natural Resource Management

Describe what made the project successful

Why was the project important to your community?

The Wet Tropics Natural Resource Management (NRM) Plan was overdue for review. This plan

covers a huge and diverse area – about 2.2 million hectares, from the Daintree forests of the north

to the sugarcane land delta of the Herbert River catchment in the south, and then west to the dry

rangelands of Mount Garnet. In 2013, funding from the Australian Government’s Regional NRM

Planning for Climate Change Program provided an opportunity for a new regional NRM plan – the

Wet Tropics Plan for People and Country.

The region’s local communities possess an enormous passion and wealth of knowledge and

understanding about their environment, landscapes, industries and communities. It was important

to incorporate and reflect this in the new plan, resulting in a grass-roots and community-led

process.

The foundation of the process was to effectively involve and engage the community, to tap into

their experience and expertise and reflect this in the final plan. There was a diverse range of

stakeholders, with divergent values and priorities, so it was important that all groups had

opportunities for input.

In addition, there was also a growing body of cutting-edge scientific data exploring potential climate

change impacts, adaptation pathways and opportunities within the region’s ecosystems, industries

and communities. Although this information could have profound impacts on NRM planning and

on-ground management within the community, making it accessible for application to community

requirements was difficult, meaning it was not being fully considered in community and stakeholder

planning, projects and procedures.

Finding a connection between the community’s values and strategic priorities based on the latest

science would help influence decision making at all levels, including policy makers, investors,

community groups, industry, local government and land managers.

Why was it important to engage your community in this project?

The community’s values and priorities were recognised as an integral component underpinning the

development of the plan and contributing to achieving its purpose of influencing decision making at

all levels. The wide range of stakeholders involved, often with divergent and varied beliefs and

concerns, had to be effectively engaged to ensure the plan was a true reflection of what the whole

NRM community identified as important.

Regional NRM plans are non-statutory, with no legal obligation for any individuals or organisations

to take them into account. For this new plan to have a meaningful and enduring influence on a

wide range of decision makers, it would need to be built from the ground up, with strong community

engagement, input and stewardship of the planning process and final planning product.

To be successful, the plan had to be:

meaningful to a wide range of community and government stakeholders – addressing their needs

and providing solutions to problems;

useful to these stakeholders – accessible and usable for decision-making, and

current – able to be updated as latest information and priorities emerge.

While Terrain led the planning process and remains the custodian of the Wet Tropics Plan for

People and Country, the plan’s ultimate success relies entirely on the level of community

connection to, and stewardship of, the final product. Natural resource management is everyone’s

business, and the aim of the plan is to support and influence the decision making of not only

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 78 of 89

government and NRM professionals, but also farmers, community groups, Traditional Owners,

industry, the research sector and investors.

Describe how you engaged the community

What tools and approaches did you apply to seek contributions from the community?

This planning project involved a comprehensive engagement process throughout the region. The

aim was to provide structure to difficult and complex discussions, while allowing for flexibility and

adaptability, and finding a balance between community priorities and scientific data. The

engagement process gave an opportunity for a two-way exchange of information – the community

could have their say on what was important to them, while Terrain’s planning team could ensure

important science on climate change implications and opportunities was incorporated and inform

community input.

There were four main stages in the community engagement process:

general information gathering stage

– this was comprehensive and aimed at identifying

community values and concerns about the landscape, and its future. Opportunities for involvement

included a

photo competition, online surveys

and attending

community events and meetings

This early engagement deliberately targeted questions about vision, aspirations and concerns to

get a good picture of the community’s perspectives on NRM. During this stage of consultation,

strong areas of commonality were identified across the region, which became the ‘Wet Tropics Big

5’ themes: biodiversity, biosecurity, water, sustainable industries, coastal systems. This helped

shape further consultation and engagement and provided structure to the final plan.

Regional technical workshops

– these focused on the Wet Tropics’ Big 5 NRM themes. They

brought together a wide range of stakeholders including government, community groups, local

council, scientists and industry, and built in consideration of the climate science for each topic.

These workshops unpacked the barriers and opportunities to achieving a set of shared regional

outcomes, and identified strategies for moving forward. Importantly, the latest climate science was

distilled and interpreted for each theme, and was integrated into the prioritisation process.

Local Landscape workshops

– these included many skilful and knowledgeable individuals and

grass roots organisations involved in managing the natural resources in their ‘backyard’. Based on

feedback from participants, these workshops were particularly successful.

A transparent process was used to prioritise project ideas through facilitated discussion of a range

of community priorities. This was followed by an inclusive and non-confrontational voting process,

where each participant could vote on their top three priorities. The result was a list of all identified

community priorities, which were included in the plan regardless of the outcome of the voting

process, as well as collective agreement on high priority actions, based on the voting results.

In addition, regional and technical expertise – including in relation to climate science – was

incorporated into the workshops to inform community priorities. After all the regional and local

priorities had been identified, a process of bringing the two together resulted in a list of Priority

Actions that have good community ownership as well as a strong level of technical and scientific

input.

Tailored and focused engagement

– this involved Traditional Owners, local councils and industry

bodies.

Describe the results

How did your community influence project outcomes?

Reflecting the community’s needs and aspirations in the final planning product was crucial to the

plan’s success.

From the comprehensive early consultation undertaken, a strong picture of community values

emerged, which helped shape and direct the next stage of the process. It highlighted the diversity

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 79 of 89

of people and landscapes within the Wet Tropics, the passion of the community and their

connection to their local areas, and drew attention to some of the common areas of interest.

Common community interests became the “Wet Tropics Big 5” regional themes (biodiversity,

biosecurity, water, sustainable industries and coastal systems), and formed the foundation for the

more intensive second phase of consultation. These themes also shaped the format and structure

of the plan, with priorities arranged according to the themes.

In particular, the local landscape workshops across the region ensured maximum community

participation in the development of strategies/priorities for action and the process of prioritisation.

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

As regional NRM plans are non-statutory, effective engagement was critical if this plan was to

influence NRM decision making across the region and beyond.

As with many plans, there was complexity involved in the planning process and product. This

project identified a requirement to reflect diversity but also identify common ground, while

reconciling divergent priorities between the local, regional, state and national scales. There was an

additional requirement to incorporate new climate change science and potential NRM impacts and

adaptations.

Comprehensive and meaningful community engagement was essential to the plan’s success to

date. The facilitated workshop and voting prioritisation processes were particularly successful in

identifying and reconciling divergent values and priorities, and providing a mechanism to develop a

collective outcome.

In addition, ‘planning fatigue’ within the community was a problem, meaning time invested by

community members needed to be productive. Consultation started early in the planning process

and involved Terrain’s planning team ‘piggy-backing’ on various community meetings to provide

planning information and updates. This minimised the amount of time and effort required from the

community (as they were already attending their own meeting), while still allowing for an important

two-way exchange of information.

By the time separate community planning meetings were organised, the community was already

aware of the planning process and proposed structure of the final plan. The plan’s purpose had

been well communicated, and the opportunity to support and influence decision making in their

location or area of interest was a strong motivating factor for community involvement. A

commitment made by Terrain’s planning team to capture all identified priorities also encouraged

community input into the final planning product.

While the planning investment in attending many community meetings (49 meetings) and holding

multiple workshops (10 Local Landscape, 9 Regional Technical) throughout the region was high,

the result was that community involvement and input was maximised. Similarly, the many years

invested by Terrain in building and developing effective stakeholder partnerships and working with

the community meant that stakeholders were likely to invest their time and ideas in an open and

honest manner.

Terrain’s simple, yet rigorous, Plan Logic enabled a clear connection between long-term vision and

priority actions. The process used was well-planned and clearly documented and communicated

through the plan website. Despite the complexities and specifics of regional NRM planning, the

Plan Logic tied all elements together cohesively, logically reconciling tensions between different

priorities and interests.

The format of the Wet Tropics Plan for People and Country as an interactive web-based plan

enables anyone to have access, search and filter data according to their topic of interest or

location, as well as allowing for ongoing updates. A range of online technologies were used to

display and convey complex information, including videos, story maps and an interactive mapping

portal, with access to many layers of relevant NRM spatial data.

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 80 of 89

An important aspect of the plan is that it is not set in stone. Priorities change, and the online format

of the plan allows monitoring, reviews and updates, creating a ‘living’ document that can respond

to changing requirements and remain relevant for a wide range of end users, for many years to

come.

Further information http://www.wettropicsplan.org.au

Case study 9.5: Clifton Township Open Space Concept Master

Plan

Organisation name

: Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC)

Describe what made the project successful

Why was the project important to your community?

This project aimed to identify activities and opportunities to enhance the physical aspects of Clifton

and build on the unique identity of the locale and the community.

Importantly, the youth of Clifton wanted a voice in the creation and development of their town.

Existing youth advocacy being carried out through Council’s Youth Leadership Program presented

a unique opportunity to engage with this often-overlooked section of the community. Clifton’s Youth

Leader became a voice for his peers and the community, enabling Council to tap into a

groundswell of action through the local high school. This was instrumental in positioning the project

from within the community.

Driving the project from the youth voice generated significant community support through this

sense of ownership and investment by the high school students. The community saw this as an

opportunity to encourage Council investment in their township.

Why was it important to engage the community in this project?

For the project to be successful, the Clifton community needed ownership of the process and

outcomes. To achieve this, Council took an exploratory approach ‒ not dictating or stipulating, but

listening, exploring, adapting and responding. Familial links throughout the town also provided

invaluable arteries for the flow of lively and sustaining conversations about Clifton’s status and its

proposed future.

In addition, this ownership developed community confidence and encouraged social capital

investments that are delivering valued dividends for Clifton and the wider region through popular

park infrastructure upgrades.

Describe how you engaged the community

What tools and approaches did you apply to seek contributions from the community?

Community engagement processes for this project were a deliberate move away from the single

issue-focused approach taken previously. Fundamental to this was the early establishment of a

project reference group to inform both the engagement and development of the master plan. This

reference group consisted of representatives from all areas of council to ensure the conversation

with the community could be about the entire town and not just the open space. By collaborating

effectively, the consultation was more holistic. It also allowed for some outcomes to be delivered

quickly, giving immediate results to the community.

Engagement practices included:

1. Youth council survey

The TRC Youth Leader prepared a survey to understand high school students’ perspectives of the

town’s open spaces. This was completed by 185 Clifton High School students.

2. Clifton State High School students’ parks tour

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 81 of 89

TRC took 50 high school students from years 9 to 12 on a bus tour of parks in the Toowoomba

region. A questionnaire was used during the bus tour to gain an understanding of how, why and

when they used parks. It also prompted them to suggest what worked, what didn’t and what was

missing from these parks.

3. Clifton State High School “Have a Say” sessions

Two information-gathering sessions were held for students to describe how they felt about the

town, and to outline their ideas about parks and playground equipment that would suit them, and

the entire community.

4. Identifying park champions

The TRC Youth Leader chose 20 students from Clifton High School to become park champions.

These students attended workshops to master plan the town centre and open space based on their

priorities and desired experiences.

4. Community “Have a Say” Days at two community consultations at a local hall, one session at the

local market and online

Similar information-gathering sessions were held to target the wide community. These sessions

were promoted on Council’s ‘Your Say’ community engagement page and the main website, by

Council’s CLO, letters to the high school students, via social media, in the local newspaper and

through poster and flyer distribution.

Pop-up face-to-face engagement was conducted outside the local Foodworks and tennis courts on

the Friday evening and 15 people made comment.

Community feedback was diverse and included commentary around gardens, footpaths, signage,

lighting, road maintenance, park furniture, toilets, public art, play and exercise equipment, the

promotion of parks and open spaces, events, entertainment and associated activities, camping and

caravanning, and infrastructure.

Describe the results

How did your community influence project outcomes?

The project was totally driven by the community, especially the youth leader and his park

champions. As a result, the Clifton Township Concept Open Space Master Plan project is an

inspiring example of active community consultation.

The consultation provided insights that have influenced and will continue to influence the future

capital works program for the township. Projects that were easy to achieve were identified as “low-

hanging fruit” and implemented quickly (in some cases only days after the consultation). For

example, trees were planted within the open spaces and the footpaths. By taking immediate action,

the community witnessed a swift response to their ideas. This strengthened the relationships

between the community and Council and helped to build momentum throughout the project.

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

Clifton is 48 kilometres south of the urban centre of Toowoomba. This distance can cause a sense

of separation from the centre of the region. Effective, innovative consultation in Clifton was

important to the success of the project. Being open to opportunities to change the conversation, to

re-centre it to Clifton and redirect dialogue for a productive outcome was essential. The approach

made by Clifton’s Youth Leader presented an opportunity for a unique way of communicating and a

different conversation. Council’s role became a facilitator of communication from activated young

people, taking their ideas and presenting them back to the rest of the community. The presence of

Council listening and responding to the needs of the community, starting from a blank slate and

working up to a concept that reflected their ideas, was a welcomed change.

Another key challenge was working on a parks and recreation project while still accommodating

consultation and discussion about the whole town. Open space at a township level has a greater

Community engagement toolkit for planning Page 82 of 89

social capital and community agenda than open space in an urban setting. How the park works

within the town and its integration with the broader objectives of place-making, economics, town

planning and community growth is fundamental to a successful master planned outcome. This

challenge was overcome by bringing collaborators from across council to help drive and direct the

project in the planning, design and delivery stages. Regular meetings of internal stakeholders

ensured that programmed works within different capital works budgets were invigorated with

consultation and information from the master plan.

A common response to Council projects is that it’s “all talk and no action”. Consultation fatigue is a

significant problem with larger Councils as there are so many projects that require community

involvement. Working collaboratively across council for this project grouped a series of smaller

discussions into one conversation with the community, from the design of open space through to

the location of trees and footpaths. Taking immediate action on some aspects of the project

ensured momentum and demonstrated ongoing implementation.

 
Community engagement toolkit for planning            Page 83 of 89 
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Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning

1 William Street, Brisbane

tel 13 QGOV (13 74 68)

https://planning.dilgp.qld.gov.au/