Public Involvement

Commission public involvement and outreach embodies the goal to ensure early and continuous public notification about regional planning programs and activities, and in so doing provide meaningful information, with opportunities to achieve participation and input. The Division of Public Involvement and Outreach works with other SEWRPC divisions, and directly with the public, to help facilitate this important exchange and meet informational requests. Some of the outreach techniques used include study newsletters and fact sheets, brochures with condensed content, presentations and briefings whenever and wherever convenient for groups, ongoing comment opportunities, and public meetings scheduled early in the planning process and at multiple junctures. Announcements to the general public and interested parties occur by newsletters and other direct mailings, news releases, paid advertisements, and SEWRPC website postings. Most of these products and events also contain a component particularly intended to benefit minority and low-income populations, for example, scheduling public meetings at minority neighborhood centers and in central city locations accessible by public transit. As well, Public Involvement and Outreach staff personally contact minority, low-income, and central city neighborhood organizations to provide tailored messages and alternatives for individual meetings. Important suggestions for these processes are provided by the Commission’s Environmental Justice Task Force and advisory committees which help to guide each planning effort.