You’re a city planner. How can you collect data that will help you build better communities?

I have found face to face interactions always to be the best way to gather valuable feedback from the community. Most communities just want to understand the process and how planning works. Getting the public feedback is a critical aspect of being a city planner. We are planning a better future for the community and we have to recognize that we can not build a better future if we don’t engage with the community we serve. Especially POC communities that are often overlooked or disregarded. Therefore we need to meet the people and interact with them.

As a city planner, you have the power to improve communities by gathering data through a variety of methods, including conducting surveys, interviews, focus groups, observational studies, analyzing existing data sets, and utilizing advanced technology like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping and spatial analysis. Through these avenues, you can create more efficient and effective urban environments for all.

To help build better communities, it is essential to go to the communities. It is important to listen to them and let them communicate their concerns and ideas. Communities need to feel that they have become a part of the planning process in order for them to take ownership of the project and contribute towards successful implementation.

While quantitative data paints a clear picture of what may be taking place in a specific location at a specific point in time, as planners, we can't negate the impact that qualitative data (interviews, surveys, and overall community engagement) lends to our work. Interviews and surveys underpin the "why" and "how" of the issues that we try to solve. Through interviews, we can gather historical data and use indigenous knowledge to inform the quantitative data that we have collected. Surveys and interviews also provide a way in which the community, and historically marginalized voices can be amplified. The information gathered through interviews and surveys can then be integrated into long-range planning documents and community plans.

In my experience, the success of surverys and interviews are highly dependent on the questionnaire. An ideal questionnaire should reflect the core objectives of the survey, possible reasons/ causes/ effects, and able to validate the responses. For example: the survey for homelessness should include - how long have you lived here, do you have family here, are you able to afford housing, do you have a job, how do you financially support yourself, would you live inside if given an opportunity, what kind of assistance or support would you like.

As a city planner aiming to build better communities, you can collect data through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of community needs and preferences. This approach includes deploying surveys and questionnaires to gather feedback from residents, utilizing geographic information system (GIS) tools for spatial analysis and demographic studies, and engaging in participatory mapping sessions to identify community assets and issues. Additionally, incorporating smart city technologies, such as sensors and IoT devices, can provide real-time data on traffic patterns, air quality, and energy usage, offering insights into urban dynamics and infrastructure needs.

Sensors can help to define the status quo, e.g. in traffic automatic traffic counting, attention detection devices of traffic participants, ... water demand, temperature, air quality measurements. But planning is then taking these data and figuring out solutions for detected problems and putting these solutions in practice. This is better done in a participatory, or co-creation approach, than just by experts. Therefore it can help to include as many people as possible even during the data collection phase as citizen scientists (see below).

GIS is a cheat code that every municipal planning department needs to implement. In particular, ArcGIS Community Analysis is an Esri application extension that provides real time data about different neighborhoods that are undergoing different planning projects.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping tools allow city planners to visualize spatial data, analyze patterns, and identify areas of opportunity or challenge within the community. This information can inform decisions related to zoning, infrastructure development, and emergency management.

Both that and Business Analyst are tools you can extract so much out of to understand your communities. I personally developed several housing analyses using data from here.

A helpful thing while using GIS is to not depend on it, it's just an instrument to help your analysis and prescription. You most remember that all the models are helpers and finally you are the decision maker.

Analyzing data from social media and web platforms can provide insights into public sentiment and trends. It's a way to understand the community's interests, concerns, and activities. This data can also help in emergency situations by providing real-time information and feedback from the public.

The majority of urban residents these days could access various social media platforms in an interactive manner, of which an urban planner could either conduct surveys or fetch fresh information in any topic of intetest. For instance Linkedin's small question and answer sessions for some urban planning endeavours could enable the planeer to easily collect and compile dozens of ideas and perspectives on that specific theme without inducing additional investment. In addition utilizing channels such as facebook and youtube shall help urban planners to have interactive sessions with residents on local development plan designs and socio economic data requirements.

Nowadays all the people have their fears because of political or economical situation. Using social medias which let people be anonymous as a source can help planners to face real life of people without fears

It's just a dream to have a successful project without having people's support. People just support projects which they are part of it and without participation we can't involve people with our plan and projects

What exactly is "building better communities"? In my view in our present situation this must mean increasing sustainability, resilience and liveability of communities. For many cities this means a substantial transformation of everything and almost everybody. Transformation processes are most successful - excluding force - if they are dealt with together, as a co-creation of everybody involved and affected. Co-creation best starts at the beginning, the definition of the status quo to change. Not everything must be done by all, there can be expert tools involved. It is helpful however to also involve the public as citizen scientists from the beginning of the decision and design process, with crowd data collection and interpretation.

Incorporating crowdsourcing and participatory methods into data collection processes indeed offers valuable opportunities to engage with the target audience and enhance the inclusivity and diversity of data in urban planning endeavors. By leveraging platforms like online forums, mobile apps, games, or workshops, you can invite contributions of data, ideas, opinions, and solutions from a wide range of stakeholders. However, it's crucial to manage participants' expectations and feedback effectively to ensure meaningful collaboration and maintain transparency throughout the process. By doing so, you can harness the collective wisdom and insights of the community, leading to more informed and inclusive urban planning decisions.

Crowdsourcing and participatory methods transform the landscape of urban planning by actively involving the community in the data collection process, leveraging real-world examples to illustrate their effectiveness. There are numerous examples of such efforts including the City of Los Angeles "MyLA311" app, Porto Alegre participatory budgeting workshops, and Boston "Street Bump" app, providing the city with real-time data to prioritize road repairs. These methods are a few examples of the potential of crowdsourcing and participatory approaches to enrich urban data with diverse inputs, moving towards inclusivity.

Leveraging data integration and analysis tools allows city planners to combine and analyze diverse datasets from multiple sources, uncovering valuable correlations, trends, and insights. This comprehensive understanding of data can inform evidence-based decision-making and drive more effective community development strategies.

In a changing world we have to consider that the standard methods of public participation are often not inclusive spaces. Whether it's discomfort with public speaking, or simply not feeling welcome at the venue, there are a number of variables that prevent great ideas from coming forward. As city planners, we have a responsibility to the general public welfare. Therefore I fully support the embedded planning praxis that we can not plan from our desks. Get out into the community and understand its many facets in order to collect data ethically!

In addition to these methods, city planners should also consider the ethical implications of data collection and usage, ensuring that privacy rights are respected and that data-driven decisions benefit all members of the community. Collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, academia, and community organizations, is also crucial for maximizing the impact of data-driven approaches to community development.

The most important consideration in implementing participatory methods in urban planning is the effective integration of community feedback into the decision-making processes. For the community to trust these processes, it is crucial that city planners and decision-makers transparently communicate how feedback is used and demonstrate the tangible outcomes of community input. This includes: * Providing regular updates on how data collected through participatory methods are influencing urban planning decisions. * Showcasing specific projects that were developed or adjusted based on community feedback. * Establishing a feedback loop where the community is informed about their contributions' outcomes, reinforcing their engagement's impact.

While traditional data has its limitations, it can be a great starting point to characterize your community. There are so many organizations and government departments collecting data about our communities - it can be hard to keep track of them all. Using traditional data can help you to understand what you need more information on then go from there.

To build better communities, a city planner should collect diverse data through surveys, GIS mapping, public records, and real-time sensors, covering demographics, land use, transportation, housing, and environmental quality. This multifaceted data aids in understanding community needs, optimizing land use, enhancing mobility, ensuring adequate housing, and preserving environmental health, thereby guiding informed urban planning and development decisions.