Comprehensive planning is a team effort. Planners focus on shaping the community’s future by setting clear goals, measurable objectives, and actionable strategies. Communicators ensure that residents are informed, engaged, and confident in the process. Together, they lay the foundation for a thriving community that reflects residents’ needs and aspirations.
PublicInput bridges the gap between these roles, offering tools that streamline community engagement, foster transparency, and ensure inclusivity.Â
In this blog, we’ll explore seven ways PublicInput empowers planners and communicators to achieve comprehensive plan success.
1. DEFINE CLEAR COMMUNITY GOALS THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE ENGAGEMENT
Engaging all voices, especially underrepresented ones, builds community buy-in and ensures your comprehensive plan reflects everyone’s needs and aspirations.
For Planners: Community goals form the backbone of any comprehensive plan. PublicInput’s multi-channel outreach—like surveys, live-streamed events, and interactive mapping—enables you to collect diverse, representative input from residents, refining these goals based on real community needs.
For Communicators: Transparent messaging through PublicInput ensures residents know how their feedback is shaping these goals, fostering trust in the process.
2. ESTABLISH MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES WITH ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS
Measurable comprehensive plan objectives translate big-picture goals into tangible progress, keeping the process focused and results-driven.
For Planners: PublicInput’s analytics and AI-driven tools transform feedback into actionable data, helping define specific, measurable objectives tied to community goals.
For Communicators: Insights from these analytics guide targeted messaging, ensuring residents understand the actionable steps tied to their input.
Above Screenshot: PublicInput’s GPT Comment Analysis tags thousands of comments in seconds saving you time and reducing human error all at once.Â
3. ENSURE INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION ACROSS ALL DEMOGRAPHICS
Inclusivity ensures the plan represents the diverse needs of your community, resulting in equitable and balanced outcomes.
For Planners and Communicators: Reaching all demographic groups is critical. PublicInput’s accessibility features—like language translation, screen readers, and real-time translation—make participation possible for everyone, regardless of ability or language barriers.
Above Screenshot: King County, WA uses PublicInput integrated translation tools to ensure equitable engagement for 30% of their residents who speak a language other than English.
4. COMBAT MISINFORMATION AND PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY
Transparency builds trust and accurate information ensures residents stay engaged and supportive of the planning process.
For Planners: PublicInput’s dashboards and live updates show residents how their input is shaping decisions, building confidence in the process.
For Communicators: Clear, real-time messaging combats misinformation and keeps everyone aligned on the facts.
5. STREAMLINE CROSS-DEPARTMENT COLLABORATION FOR UNIFIED IMPLEMENTATION
A unified approach reduces miscommunication and increases efficiency, ensuring your comprehensive plan goals are achieved collaboratively.
For Planners: PublicInput centralizes feedback, helping multiple departments align on priorities and strategies.
For Communicators: Consistent messaging across departments ensures residents receive unified updates and feel confident in the city’s direction.
Above Screenshot: See a full profile and history of engagement for each participant in the PublicInput CRM resident database.
Above Screenshot: Use the PublicInput CRM to get extra insight and view all communication sent to participants by customizable segments (also viewable geographically in the map view).Â
6. TRACK PROGRESS AND ADAPT WITH REAL-TIME ANALYTICS
Tracking progress ensures your comprehensive plan stays on course, with strategies adapting to changing needs and feedback.
For Planners and Communicators: PublicInput’s analytics allow you to monitor participation, identify gaps, and adjust strategies to keep engagement efforts on track. Equity mapping ensures all voices continue to be heard throughout the process.
7. FOSTER LONG-TERM ENGAGEMENT THROUGH CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK
Long-term engagement ensures that your comprehensive plan remains relevant and reflective of the community’s needs over time.
For Planners: Comprehensive plans are living documents. PublicInput’s tools support ongoing feedback collection to adapt plans as the community evolves.
For Communicators: Maintaining a dialogue with residents builds trust and keeps them engaged in the plan’s long-term success.
Your Comprehensive Planning Partner
Building a successful comprehensive plan requires collaboration, inclusivity, and transparency. PublicInput equips both planners and communicators with the tools to engage residents, combat misinformation, and track progress. Together, you can create a community-driven comprehensive plan that meets today’s needs while adapting for tomorrow.
Ready to see how PublicInput can simplify your planning efforts? Contact us today to learn how our platform supports every phase of the comprehensive planning process.
