Online Public Consultation in the Resource Development Industry

Over the years, the methodology for public consultation has evolved to include public information meetings and hearings, telephone polls and surveys, and most recently online engagement. Increasingly, government is emphasizing evidence-based decision-making. They recognize that existing methods are lacking in reaching a broad demographic. Internet communication technology has made it possible to reach a broader spectrum of the public however until recently, that interaction has been anonymous and anecdotal at best. The objective of the proposed research is to explore the use of online public consultation technology to advance best practices within the real estate development industry. The project aims to investigate the ways online consultation generally, and the PlaceSpeak platform with location-based authentication in particular, can enrich public development consultation bringing together current and traditional outreach methods. The intern, who intends on a career in urban planning with a focus on public participation will benefit from the exposure to real players in the property development industry with added experience in developing case studies and knowledge of the public consultation processes while the partner will benefit from the research itself.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Frank Gobas

Student:

Aimée Brisebois

Partner:

New City Ventures

Discipline:

Urban studies

Sector:

Service industry

University:

Simon Fraser University