• Taking it to the Street: Beyond the Traditional Meeting

    The Florida Department of Transportation has been a proponent of smaller, targeted methods for obtaining public input and building relationships with the community. These methods have been used to compliment traditional meeting practices. They include targeted small group meetings, drive-up open houses set up in tents, and established public outreach offices. These non-traditional methods directly engage the public at places and times convenient and comfortable to them.

     

 Lessons Learned using Primary Technique:

  • Non-traditional Meeting Places and Events

Strengths

Going above and beyond the minimum meeting requirements builds trust with the community. Offers additional opportunities for the public to provide input.

Drawbacks

Requires additional time and budget beyond the traditional meeting requirements. However, these techniques are often more cost effective than required meetings.

Insights

1) Smaller, more intimate contact with the public can result in more focused input. 2) Be mobile. When the public is not coming to you, go to the public.  3) Establishing a presence in the community builds trust and relationships.

 Project Attributes

Project Primary Purpose
  
Accessibility Improvement, Aesthetic Improvement, Mobility/System Efficiency, New Transit, Regional Connection Improvement, Safety Improvement, Traffic Calming, Traffic Segregation, Transit Improvement
Target Communities
  
Commercial/Retail, Established Neighborhood, Government/Subsidized Housing, Industrial, New Neighborhoods, Rural, Suburban, Urban
Target Populations
  
Choice Transit Riders, Commuters, Immigrants, Limited English Proficiency, Low-Income Populations, Native American Populations, Persons with Disabilities, Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Seniors, Students/Youth, Transit-Dependent Populations
  
Project Planning
  
Local Roadway or Interchange

 Primary Technique

  • Non-traditional Meeting Places and Events

 Other Techniques used

  • 63;#Open Houses/Open Forum Hearings;#28;#Drop-In Centers;#44;#Information Materials;#82;#Speakers' Bureaus and Public Involvement Volunteers;#79;#Small Groups

 Contact Info

  
Rusty Ennemoser
  
Florida Department of Transportation
  
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/emo/pubinvolvement.shtm
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