One expert said no stakeholder should be left out from the process, not even the homeless.
Dutch urban planning expert Frans-Anton Vermast, who spoke at a recent conference in Kuala Lumpur on sustainable cities, shared his experience with the Amsterdam planning authority which included the homeless in its consultation process in developing the city.
“One of these gentlemen came up and said, ‘Okay, we’re homeless people, we do not have an official address but most of us have mobile phones.’
“He said, ‘Can you please put USB chargers at all tram stops and other buildings in public spaces so we can charge our phones overnight when we’re sleeping on the streets?'” Vermast, who is actively involved in the development of smart cities in the Netherlands, told FMT.
Vermast said the comment was well received and reached the Amsterdam tourism board, which decided to go a step further and install free WiFi at all tram stops in the Netherlands capital.
Another expert said controversies during the public feedback process for city projects should be welcomed.
Caroline Bos, who co-founded UNStudio, a global specialist in architecture and urban development, said opposition to projects could generate controversy but could also result in people having a greater interest and attachment to the project.
But she warned against allowing these engagements to become a routine.
She said the perception of the public feedback process as a mere procedure could make it uninviting for certain parties.
“It becomes a gathering of the usual suspects. Only a very select group of people actually participate and this is a very narrowly defined group. So we have to actively change those procedures and seek participation as a mutual commitment.
“We’re not asking people to just idly sit around in a room and chat about what we present. We’re looking for active engagement now,” she said.
Vermast said the authorities must be willing to receive feedback they might not want to hear in order to have other perspectives.
“If you define a common goal or a common objective, and you’re not afraid to listen to people and hear the things you don’t want to hear, then there’s no conflict and you can only gain from it,” he said during a panel discussion at the conference last week.
Stuart Moseley, who heads the Victorian Planning Authority, said professionals involved in city-planning must have an understanding of the complexities of public engagement.
He said the Victorian Planning Authority, which is tasked with advising the Australian government on making the city of Melbourne and surrounding regions more liveable, had individuals who specialised in public consultations.