The Public Participation Handbook

Internationally renowned facilitator and public participation consultant James L. Creighton offers a practical guide to designing and facilitating public participation of the public in environmental and public policy decision making. Written for government officials, public and community leaders, and professional facilitators, The Public Participation Handbook is a toolkit for designing a participation process, selecting techniques to encourage participation, facilitating successful public meetings, working with the media, and evaluating the program. The book is also filled with practical advice, checklists, worksheets, and illustrative examples.

Internationally renowned facilitator and public participation consultant James L. Creighton offers a practical guide to designing and facilitating public participation of the public in environmental and public policy decision making. Written for government officials, public and community leaders, and professional facilitators, The Public Participation Handbook is a toolkit for designing a participation process, selecting techniques to encourage participation, facilitating successful public meetings, working with the media, and evaluating the program. The book is also filled with practical advice, checklists, worksheets, and illustrative examples.

Tables, Figures, Exhibits, and Worksheets xiiiPreface xvThe Author xixIntroduction 1PART ONE: OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 52 The Rationale for Public Participation 14PART TWO: DESIGNING A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROGRAM 273 Decision Analysis 294 Process Planning 455 Implementation Planning 78PART THREE: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TOOL KIT 856 Techniques for Getting Information to the Public 897 Techniques for Getting Information from the Public 102PART FOUR: PUBLIC MEETING TOOLS 1398 Designing Public Meetings 1439 Developing Interactive Meetings 14910 Facilitating Public Meetings 16611 Determining Meeting Logistics 173PART FIVE: GENERAL-PURPOSE TOOLS 18112 Working with Advisory Groups 18313 Conducting Interviews 19014 Working with the Media 19615 Analyzing Public Comment 20516 Evaluating Public Participation 21417 Using Public Participation Consultants 223PART SIX: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ACTION 22718 Public Participation Cases 229Conclusion 243An Example: Sunny Glen Landfill Siting Public Participation Plan 247Index 255