The Public Participation Handbook: Making Better Decisions Through Citizen Involvement

Internationally renowned facilitator and consultant James L. Creighton offers a practical guide to designing and facilitating public participation 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. Praise for The Public Participation Handbook " The Public Participation Handbook is a practical, essential, and thorough guide for practitioners, public and private sector managers, NGOs, civic groups, and citizens. It is written by one of the gurus of the field and is an essential work for all those concerned with practical issues of good governance." — Jerome Delli Priscoli , editor in chief, Water Policy "The public has a wisdom that government needs to understand before it can fulfill its mission. Creighton has cleared a path towards that wisdom." — David Matthews , president, Kettering Foundation "A very strong and accessible guide to public participation. The content is well–grounded in experience and the relevant research." — Daniel J. Fiorino , adjunct professor, American University "Finally, a book that provides specific insights and techniques for designing public participation strategies and programs. The Public Participation Handbook is just that—a how–to book for practitioners and decision makers who must meaningfully incorporate the public′s values into public and corporate decisions." — Martha A. Rozelle , president, The Rozelle Group, Ltd., and past president, International Association for Public Participation " The Public Participation Handbook clearly sets forth James L. Creighton′s profound mastery of the craft of public participation." — Peter T. Johnson , former administrator, Bonneville Power Administration "Jim Creighton is the master chef for successful public participation. In this handbook he divulges a lifetime of experience that every practitioner can tap into." — William L. Robertson , chairman, Weston Solutions, Inc.

Tables, Figures, Exhibits, and Worksheets xiii Preface xv The Author xix Introduction 1 PART ONE: OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 5 2 The Rationale for Public Participation 14 PART TWO: DESIGNING A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROGRAM 27 3 Decision Analysis 29 4 Process Planning 45 5 Implementation Planning 78 PART THREE: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TOOL KIT 85 6 Techniques for Getting Information to the Public 89 7 Techniques for Getting Information from the Public 102 PART FOUR: PUBLIC MEETING TOOLS 139 8 Designing Public Meetings 143 9 Developing Interactive Meetings 149 10 Facilitating Public Meetings 166 11 Determining Meeting Logistics 173 PART FIVE: GENERAL–PURPOSE TOOLS 181 12 Working with Advisory Groups 183 13 Conducting Interviews 190 14 Working with the Media 196 15 Analyzing Public Comment 205 16 Evaluating Public Participation 214 17 Using Public Participation Consultants 223 PART SIX: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ACTION 227 18 Public Participation Cases 229 Conclusion 243 An Example: Sunny Glen Landfill Siting Public Participation Plan 247 Index 255

James L. Creighton is president of Creighton & Creighton, Inc., in Los Gatos, California, at www.publicparticipation.com. He has been an independent consultant in the public participation field since 1972 and has designed or conducted more than three hundred public participation programs. He is the founding president of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), an international organization of professionals and people interested in the public participation field.